It's Always Sunset Here
by Roxy-chan-12
Summary: (Previously "The Little Ningyo") When Roxas loses a very important trinket, he must trade in his fins for feet. But will his initial intentions be cast aside by unforeseen feelings for a certain flamboyant redhead? **Akuroku with hints at other couples**Rated T for language, ideologically sensitive material, and Finny Fun**
1. Humans are Dangerous

**Disclaimers: I don't own any ounce of the **_**Kingdom Hearts **_**series or franchise… except my Keyblade replica, but that doesn't count D:**

**A/N: I don't know why I'm doing this ._. I think I have serious problems xD Oh well…**

**This is loosely based on Disney's **_**The Little Mermaid**_**… well… the idea was spurred by the movie. It's not a direct parody, I plan to make the plot unique and I hope you all enjoy reading!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 1:Humans are Dangerous

The spray of the sea, the strong scent of salt in the gentle wind, the hearty laughter of crew mates, the call of the sea—how could anyone find themselves solemn or brooding in the clear blue of the open ocean? Unfortunately, one man found himself looking out at the endless sapphire of the rolling waves, his harlequin eyes fell shut.

"AXEL!"

The redhead's eyes snapped open and he whipped around at the exuberant voice calling his attention. He turned back to the ocean.

"Hi, Demyx." He mumbled, not wanting to deal with the hyperactive blonde.

"What's eatin' ya?" Demyx asked clapping his friend's back. Axel ran his fingers through his outrageous red hair and sighed.

"I don't know, Dem. I just—there's gotta be _someone _out there for me, but with my luck they're already at the bottom of the _fucking _ocean by now!"

~o~O~o~

_CHOMP_

"SWEET FISH JESUS!"

Black fins narrowly escaped the razor sharp teeth of an enraged great white shark.

"AH! N-n-nice sharkie… g-good sharki—AH!" the shark took another snap at the subject of his fury who barely avoided the second attack. A thrown rock distracted the predator just long enough for the frightened mer-teen to make his escape through a broken window in the side of the ship he had been cornered into. Once free, he looked around, securing a satchel around his front. He began swimming for one of the two exits from the underwater cavern, when a shout came from behind him.

"Roxas!"

He flinched and turned around to face a very angry azurette with her arms crossed over her chest. Her shining cobalt tail whipped back and forth every now and then, slightly displacing the crossed cerise colored belts that hung loosely around her hips with each flick of her fins. Similar belts met across her black cloth-clad chest, held together by a silver heart-shaped broach.

"Hi, Aqua." Roxas mumbled sheepishly, raising his hand to wave at his guardian. Attention was drawn away from the contrite teenager when the loud snapping of splintering wood signaled the forgotten shark's escape attempt. Aqua glared at the decaying ship-shaped mass of wood.

"Be still!" She commanded. The noise stopped and Aqua turned back to Roxas who had begun sneaking away. "I'm not done with you." She snapped causing the blonde to flinch again. "You're lucky I came when I did. What if that shark got you? You know I don't like you coming to old shipwrecks—what's that?" she stopped, pointing to the gray satchel slung around Roxas' torso.

"Um…" he trailed off, clutching the strap. Aqua swam over and put out her hand.

"Give it here."

Roxas sighed, lifting the strap over his head and hesitantly holding it in front of him. Aqua grabbed the bag and rifled through it.

"I would have been fine." The blonde reassured as the woman across from him pulled a single item from the bag. The thin silver utensil was dulled from wear and age and one of the four prongs jutting from the handle had snapped in half. Aqua groaned and set her head in her free hand.

"Roxas, how many times must we go through this? This interest you have in the human world is unnatural. I thought I _told _you that you were forbidden from scavenging things like this." She made her point by lifting the broken fork a bit higher.

"Aqua, I know they're dangerous, but I feel somewhat drawn to their cultu—"

"Stop." Aqua dropped the artifact, letting it sink to the ocean floor. "Every time you do this, you get yourself into more and more trouble! I've told you countless times not to get yourself so infatuated with the surface, but you just won't listen! Ever since you were a little guppy I've raised you because your parents weren't here to do it. I don't want to see you die because of some moronic obsession with trinkets you find lying around on unstable shipwrecks." She handed the satchel back to Roxas and turned. "Can we please just go home and _stay_ there?" Aqua pleaded, starting to swim the way she came. Roxas hung his head and swam after her, glancing dejectedly back at where the fork lay in the sand.

~o~O~o~

When he was safe in his room, Roxas was greeted by a very young mako shark who nudged his hip playfully. He stroked his pet's head and crooned half-heartedly, "Hey, Ven." The blonde made his way to the solid fixture that acted as his bed and slumped down on it, ebony tail hanging unceremoniously off the edge. He brought his hand up to toy with the silver pendant that was strung around his neck. "Mom, dad, what ever happened to you?" he murmured to himself.

The topic of Roxas' parents came up every now and again and every time it did, Aqua gave him the same answer; something along the lines of 'they mysteriously vanished one night, leaving only their son and a metal four-pointed star in their wake'.

"'Mysteriously vanished' my left fin." Roxas grumbled, furrowing his eyebrows and dropping his arm to his side. "I think I need a nap." He sighed, fully lying down. Just as the blonde was on the brink of peaceful sleep, something hit and stuck to his hair, the spines of whatever was now there poked uncomfortably into the back of his head. He bolted up and looked to the archway that led into his room. The faded blue privacy veil was drawn back and three mermaids occupied the opening. In the center floated a redhead with wide surprised blue eyes and one of her pale arms cradled a plethora of black spike-balls and her free arm was drawn back behind her head, clutching a single urchin as if she were going to throw it.

Roxas reached up and pried the painful creature from his hair.

"Kairi! Did you just throw a sea urchin at me?" he questioned, a bit shocked, before throwing the urchin back at the group of girls. "And do you have any respect for privacy? The drape was drawn!"

"Um…" Kairi looked to the side guiltily and set her eyes on the timid blonde next to her. She shoved the jumble of sea urchins at the shy girl. "Naminé! How could you throw a sea urchin at Roxas' head when he was so _obviously _sleeping?"

Naminé looked down at the prickly bundle she now held and then at Kairi who was grinning.

"U-uh… but—I." She stuttered, holding the urchins out to Kairi, hoping she would take them back. When no such thing happened Naminé just held them back up against her stomach.

"So, why are you interrupting my nap, anyway?" Roxas asked, sliding off his bed and crossing his arms.

Kairi swam forward into the small space and held her arms behind her back.

"Well… Naminé, Olette, and I were wondering if you would _do_ something with us tonight."

"Kairi, you know we're way too young to go breaching." Roxas scolded. Kairi rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"That's not—" the redhead began but was violently shoved aside by the brunette who'd been quiet until this point.

"That's not what we're talking about, Roxas! I can't believe you'd think we—upstanding maidens—would stoop to _drugs_!"

"Then what _are _you talking about, Olette?" Roxas groaned in exasperation. To this, Olette leaned in close to Roxas' face and raised her hand to her cheek, whispering.

"Tonight we're going to…" She glanced over her shoulder and then turned back to the confused blonde. "…the _surface_."

Roxas' sapphire eyes widened and he looked to Kairi at his side who nodded excitedly, smiling wide. He looked past Olette's head at Naminé who still held the sea urchins.

"They're joking, right?" He choked out. Naminé shook her head gently.

"I-I tried to talk them out of it but they… wouldn't listen." Her voice trailed off and she lowered her head.

The other two mermaids turned around and each hooked their arms through one of Naminé's, pulling her through the archway. As they were swimming out, Kairi turned her head to give some last minute information.

"We'll come pick you up at sundown. If anyone asks we're dragging you shopping against your will!" and with that, the redhead tugged the blue veil closed.

Roxas let out a sigh and ran his hand through his blonde spikes.

"This is a bad idea."

~o~O~o~

"So, the girls are taking you shopping tonight? That's nice. I'm glad you're going out with friends for once."

Aqua was met with silence. She had gotten the information from Kairi before she, Olette, and Naminé left and was now outside Roxas' room, talking to him through the veil that was pulled closed.

"Roxas, I'm sorry I had to be harsh with you earlier, but you have to understand that I worry for you." She reasoned. "Roxas? Are you even listening to me?" she pulled the curtain a bit and poked her head in. The teenager was sitting on his bed, staring fixedly at a small ovular wooden frame that he clutched in his hands. "What's that you're holding, dear?" Aqua asked, slightly panicked. When Roxas didn't answer, the azurette opened the veil more and swam forward into the room. "Roxas, what is that?" she pressed, anxiety rising quickly. "Roxas!" she nabbed the photo from his hands and did her best to maintain her composure when her worst fear was confirmed.

"Who is that?" Roxas asked looking up at Aqua. The latter nearly lost it, trying her best to keep her voice down.

"Where did you get this?" she asked with a shaky voice. Roxas asked his question again causing his guardian to bark, "That doesn't matter! _Where did you get this?!_"

Roxas pushed himself off his bed and turned to Aqua. "From _your _room! Why are you hidi—"

"What were you doing in my room?" Aqua set the picture down where Roxas had been sitting.

"I was looking for Ven!" at this point, both Aqua and Roxas were shouting. "What _else_ have you been hiding from me? What do you think you're _protecting _me from?!" the young blonde screamed. Aqua opened her mouth to say something in return but was interrupted by a call from the entrance of the house.

"Hey Roxas! Time to go _shopping_!"

Without speaking to the azurette in front of him, Roxas snatched his satchel from his bed and rushed to the three girls waiting outside. When he didn't stop, Kairi, Naminé, and Olette swam after him, Olette being the first to catch up.

"Hey, what's got your fins in a twist?" the brunette asked pulling on Roxas' arm forcing him to stop.

"Can we just not talk about it?"

"Sure… sorry I asked."

~o~O~o~

"Kairi?"

"Hm?"

"Did you _plan _this?"

"Of _course_ I did, Roxas! The surface is no fun if there's _nothing going on_!"

The four teenagers had breached the surface and were staring up at a massive, intricate, brightly lit ship sluggishly cutting through the calm waves.

"Alright, guys, see those two port holes?" Kairi pointed to the two rectangular holes in the side of the ship that served as windows onto the deck. "There's a ledge on each one that's long enough for two of us to sit on each. And those rungs up the side of the ship—those are what we're using to get up there." The other three looked up at the ship and then back at Kairi. Olette smiled, understanding the game-plan, but Roxas and Naminé both looked at the redhead in horror.

"Kairi, are you deliberately trying to _kill us_?" Roxas gaped, motioning toward the massive ship. "That would be way too close!"

Kairi nodded and grinned. "I thought you'd say that. Yes, it seems close, but they can't see us. They're too busy getting drunk anyway."

Roxas sighed in resignation. "Alright."

Naminé stared at him in shock. "R-Roxas! Don't give in so easily."

"I just think lightening up could be good for me." He confessed.

"Then I see absolutely no reason why not!" Kairi sang, yanking Roxas' arm and swimming forward. "I'll go with Roxas. Olette, you go with Naminé."

The group split; Naminé timidly swimming after Olette and Roxas swimming alongside Kairi.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've done this before, Kairi." Roxas stated raising an eyebrow at his bubbly friend.

"I have." She said taking ahold of the bronze rung above her head.

"WHAT? You never told me about this!" Roxas shouted after the redhead now up a few rungs. Kairi looked over her shoulder down at the livid blonde. She rolled her eyes and chuckled, "Save your breath, Roxas; you're gonna need it. This takes a lot of upper body strength."

Roxas huffed and gripped the metal rod just as Kairi had a moment earlier.

Kairi was right; it _did _take a lot of arm and upper body strength. Roxas had almost slipped just as he neared the ledge they were going to be sitting on.

When the now exhausted blonde reached the wooden fixture jutting from the porthole, Kairi scooted over and lightly patted the vacant spot next to her. Roxas gladly flopped down and situated himself more comfortably. He peered cautiously at the deck through the rather large hole in the side of the ship.

"Um… Kairi?" Roxas whispered, his eyes fixed on the group of crew members by the porthole.

"Hm?" the redhead responded just as quietly, her face lit by the warm glow of lanterns on board the ship.

"Do you just come here to watch a bunch of big sweaty human guys get drunk and make fools out of themselves?" he asked, blond eyebrows knit together and lips downturned in disgust.

"What? No! I've found this pattern," Kairi started, looking from Roxas to the deck and then gesturing at the mess of staggering men, "the more gross hairy sweaty people there are on a ship, the more likely it is that there's someone _really_ good looking among them. It's a ratio I've invented." She clapped excitedly and her blue eyes glowed with pride.

"That is absolute bull-shark shi—"

"Shh!" Kairi brought a finger to her lips to demonstrate silence.

"Did you just _shush_ me?" Roxas hissed softly.

"_shhhhhhhhuuuussshhhh_! Look!"

Roxas followed his friend's finger that was now subtly pointing at the deck. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What?" he asked dumbly. Kairi sighed and pulled Roxas' head over and turned it in the direction of the object of interest. His cobalt eyes widened as he scanned the fiery redhead he was originally forced to look at.

"Well, what did I tell ya'? He's a hell of a hottie!" Kairi squealed happily, pulling her hands back to clap again. As soon as she removed her small hands, Roxas whipped around and shot a glare at the still chipper mermaid.

"Kairi," he snapped, "what makes you think _I _care about which humans _you_ think are attractive?" At his question, the redhead next to him crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. In the soft light from the deck, she could clearly see the rosy hue that Roxas' cheeks had taken on.

"Oh, _please_, Roxas. Even a cavefish* could see that you swim in the _other_ pond." She teased, poking Roxas' shoulder.

"You leave my sexuality out of this! The situation is _completely _different! That's a _human_, have you forgotten that?"

Kairi pouted sadly and let her arms drop to her sides. "I just want you to be happy." She murmured causing the blonde to sigh.

"Kairi, I'm sorry, but," he paused and glanced back at the—admittedly very attractive—human Kairi had pointed out earlier and then continued, "this isn't going to help me… at all." The look he wore was one of deep disappointment and genuine misery. Kairi gasped.

"Is that love I sense in your words?" she cooed, sky blue eyes bright again. "Ah love at first sight, how _romantic_!" she swooned, fanning herself.

Roxas' mouth fell open.

"Wha-? No! It's just a little crush—" Roxas stuttered in defense.

"HAH! You admit it!" Kairi screamed triumphantly while Roxas mentally slapped himself for falling into her trap to confess.

From the other end of that side of the ship came Olette's voice, "KAIRI! KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN OR THEY'LL HEAR US!"

"HUH? SORRY, THE MUSIC'S TOO LOUD!"

"I SAID; SHUT YOUR KRILL-HOLE!"

"OH! SORRY!" then the loud conversation ended and Roxas stared at Kairi dumbfounded, mouth agape. He took a breath to speak when the music stopped and a single voice rose on board the ship.

"Did you guys hear something?"

Roxas watched in terror as the crowd of men dispersed and some began walking to the porthole he was looking through. He looked over to Kairi who was currently making wild hand gestures at Olette. The redhead took hold of Roxas' wrist and tugged on it.

"ABANDON SHIP!" she yelled before yanking Roxas with her off the ledge and back into the water.

Once all four were safely a couple feet under water, Kairi and Olette burst out laughing, Roxas was still in shock, and Naminé was shaken and still scared out of her mind.

"Oh my _gosh_ that was close!" Kairi howled, holding her stomach.

"I _know_! We'd be in sooo much trouble if they saw us!" Olette wheezed her voice hoarse from her fit of laughter. Kairi swam back up barely poking her head out of the water; just enough to confirm that the music had started again and the ship's crew had completely forgotten the whole incident. Dipping her head back in the water, the redhead motioned for the other three to surface again. Olette did without hesitation, Roxas with minimal, and Naminé took a good minute to finally inch her way up out of the water.

"I don't want you guys to miss the best part." Kairi chirped enthusiastically. "Oh! Look!" she pointed up at the sky just before bright blue pierced the dark night sky. The explosion of color lasted for only a moment before the lights fizzled out and fell, leaving only a smoky shadow behind. Not long after the first firework burst did another one shoot up and illuminate the clear sky. Kairi watched the light show in delight, the other three in pure awe. Unfortunately, the cheerful mood of the night only lasted a moment. The waves began to rumble and churn unnervingly and the wind bayed.

_BOOM_

The four teenagers looked up at the source of the thundering blare and gawked in alarm as the ship was quickly eaten by roaring flames and crew members frantically hopping into lifeboats and jumping ship. Roxas swam around the bow of the ship to the starboard side, not realizing the shadowy figures hugging the wood of the bow or the glowing amber eyes that silently followed him. He stopped abruptly at the sight of no less than ten men huddled uncomfortably in a wooden lifeboat all yelling up at a single person still on the flaming ship.

"C'mon, Axel! Just jump! I'll catch you!" one of the men stood in the boat and held his hands up.

"Demyx, even if that _was_ reassuring there's still the possibility I could fall into the water and I CAN'T SWIM!"

"Fine then, we're leaving without you, sorry Ax!" the standing crewmate disappeared among the heads of the others sitting down.

"DEMYX, YOU SON OF A—" before the abandoned redhead could finish his sentence, the fire reached the kegs of gunpowder on the ship deck. In a cloud of black smoke and blazing heat the once glorious ship was completely obliterated. Roxas squinted, trying to locate the stranger who'd been left behind. His search ended abruptly when the loud crash of something hitting the water caught his ear and bright red showed up in his peripheral. He jerked his head around just as the figure disappeared below the surface. Roxas ducked under water and immediately spotted the unconscious human sinking further into the abyss. In one swift motion he swam down and around the redhead pulling the stranger's arm around his shoulder and grabbing hold of his waist. Roxas instantly brought the human to the surface again. The man gasped and coughed and in a panic he flailed, pushing his savior under the waves. His hands groped and clawed at the blonde, so he clenched his own hands around the redhead's wrists and yanked him forward, resituating their position. Then Roxas dragged the human forward—on his way to shore.

~o~O~o~

The sun had just begun to creep up the horizon when the pair made it to shore. The newly risen star left streaks of golden light across the still cool white sand, bathing the lone figures that lay motionless at the edge of the calm waves in the warm glow of dawn. Roxas brought a hand up to gently brush away stray damp strands of red from the pale face of the man he'd rescued.

"Kairi was right, you really _are_ very easy on the eyes." He sighed. Bright green eyes slowly blinked open, staring wearily up into startled sapphire ones. Roxas went red in the face and scrambled off the redhead. "H-He's awake!" he gasped in a hushed voice before swiftly retreating back under the waves and out of sight.

* * *

***Cavefish: more commonly called the blindfish. Obviously, a fish that cannot see.**

**A/N: good GOD it's finally over! This chapter took me SOOO LONG! Don't count on them all being upwards 3,300 words long, I just couldn't find a really good place to cut off. Yes, Roxas is a freaking MERM…an….aid…. bah! (that's right folks, it's **_**that**_** kind of fanfiction) there might be a lot I need to explain but it's 1 am and I'm sleepy. **

**Review for a Kingdom Cookie**

**And remember, kiddies; Flames are for Axels, not for Authors! :D**

**~Roxy~**


	2. Pendant

**Disclaimers: I still own no rights to Disney or Square Enix products! Except for my Roxas plushie… but that still doesn't count!**

**A/N: and we're back with the next installment of **_**The Little Ningyo**_**! A valued reviewer (ReminEssence) actually gave me a really good idea! I ended up scrapping a little detail and changing it because it made more sense to me, It's just a little change in the first chapter. Thank you C: ~~ OH! Some of you might be thinking about how illogical this story is physics wise… well don't! If any of you have seen **_**The Little Mermaid**_** you should know that underwater physics don't exist! :O**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 2: Pendant

Not long after his mysterious rescuer disappeared, Axel sat up, groaning. He rubbed the exhaustion from his bleary bottle green eyes.

"Who…?" he squinted against the glaring sun, looking out at the vast ocean. "Bizarre… huh?" Axel opened his previously closed fist, revealing a shimmering metal trinket that lay in his palm. He stroked it with his thumb, turning it over in his hand and marveling the simple pendant.

"Axel!" the loud call came just before hurried footsteps closed in on the redhead. "There you are! I've been so worried!"

Axel was violently ripped out of his daze. He shot a glance up at the blonde who was tapping his foot beside him.

"Really, Dem? Because last I checked you were perfectly _fine_ with leaving me for dead on that ship." The redhead retorted, returning his gaze to the tranquil blue water.

"Well…" Demyx scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "It was either save myself and leave you or have us both die." He lied flimsily. Axel raised an eyebrow at his friend, but before he could comment on the weak excuse, the silver pendent caught the blonde's eye. "Ooh! What's that?"

Axel stood and gripped the four-pointed star.

"I'm not exactly sure. It must have belonged to the one who saved me." He looked down at the bauble he held. "They had the most beautiful blue eyes." He mumbled to himself. Demyx furrowed his sandy eyebrows.

"Ax, there's nobody who could have saved you." He mentioned gently, placing a friendly hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Are you suggesting there's some mystery person who just rescued you and vanished?"

"Where else would I get this," Axel raised the charm, "Hm?"

Demyx smiled, deciding to go along with his friend.

"Now, about the _real_ reason you left me on the ship…" Axel shoved the ornament into his still damp pocket and crossed his arms.

"Psh! That's in the past! Hey, wanna get doughnuts?" Demyx interjected excitedly. "Since we know the owners of the bakery, we can get them for free!"

Axel sighed. "Demyx, that hasn't worked the last nine times you've tried, what makes you think Riku will cave _now_?"

"His resolve is dwindling!"

"Uh-huh." The redhead nodded skeptically.

"Hey, if we just get there when Riku's out and Sora's manning the store we could score some free doughnuts."

Axel pondered Demyx's words for a moment and finally nodded.

"Then we shouldn't waste any more time."

The blonde's smile broadened and he raced off with Axel following behind him, fingering the trinket in his pocket the whole way.

~o~O~o~

"Son of a blowfish stole my necklace!"

Not long after Roxas had made it safely back under water had he realized he had lost his necklace. He was combing the ocean floor when three tails—ivory, magenta, and amber—slipped into his peripheral vision. He righted himself to look at the three familiar faces.

"Where have _you _been?" Kairi asked, hands on her hips and auburn eyebrows knit together. She gasped, "Did you go _breaching_?"

Olette cut in, "Can I ask something? Why do they call it 'breaching', anyway?"

Kairi turned to the brunette and leaned in. "It's because they say you get so high you shoot right out of the water… oh, and you can't do it underwater since it would get soggy." She shrugged and then whipped back around to Roxas. "Back to you! Where have you been for the last four hours?" her cobalt eyes widened. "And where's your necklace?"

"What is this, an interrogation?" Roxas groaned. Kairi averted her eyes from the blonde and twiddled her thumbs.

"Aqua's pretty… _unhappy_." She muttered, whipping her tail back and forth nervously.

"What? Why?" Roxas questioned although he knew she'd have reason seeing as he'd been out all night. Kairi bit her lip.

"Well…"

^v^v^

"_Remember, we were out shopping and—hey, where's Roxas?" Kairi asked, looking around in search of her friend._

"_We lost him up top." Olette answered. Naminé whimpered, lowering her head. "What are we going to tell Aqua?" the timid mermaid whispered._

"_We need to stay calm. What's a good excuse for why Roxas is clearly not here?" Kairi bit her nails, on edge as they approached the azurette's home._

"_M-maybe we should just… tell her the… truth?" Naminé suggested, instantly earning two astonished stares._

"_What makes you think that's a good idea?" Olette sputtered out once she found her words. Kairi rolled her eyes._

"_Yeah, Naminé, what are we going to tell her? 'Oh, sorry Aqua, we lost Roxas when we were human watching on the surface when _you _thought we were _shopping_!'" she glared at Naminé. "No, we'll tell her that…" she let her mouth hang open as she thought. "I know! We got separated at the mall and we couldn't find him so we thought we'd check back here at his house and if he's not there then we have _no idea _what happened to him." Just as Kairi finished explaining their excuse, they arrived at the archway that lead into the home they'd been discussing. She poked her head in and called for the older mermaid. Aqua soon floated in the entrance._

"_Oh, hello girls. Hm? Where's Roxas?" she asked, looking around the small group._

"_Oh, well, we got separated at the mall and we were wondering if he had come home yet and judging by your reaction I'd say he hasn't." Kairi lied smoothly. Aqua nodded slowly._

"_No, he hasn't come home yet. I wonder if it's because we fought earlier." Worry and guilt immediately overshadowed her usually content sapphire eyes. Olette and Kairi sighed inwardly in relief, but Naminé flicked her tail restlessly. Kairi picked up on the unsettled blonde and narrowed her eyes at the shy mermaid in warning. Unfortunately the redhead's glare didn't stop Naminé from blurting out the truth in a burst of uncontrollable culpability._

"_I'm sorry, Aqua! W-we brought Roxas to the surface to watch fireworks! Th-the ship caught fire a-a-and we lost him in the chaos and c-confusion. We have no clue w-where he is now."_

_Aqua stared dumbfounded at the three girls. The shock quickly turned into a mix of anxiety and pure fright._

"_What?"_

^v^v^

"So, yeah, you probably shouldn't go home just yet." Kairi warned, scratching the back of her neck.

"I'm really sorry, Roxas." Naminé apologized. Roxas shook his head.

"It's fine." He sighed and looked in the direction of his house with apprehension. "Well, I'm going to have to face her eventually." He wasted no time in pushing past the three mermaids and toward his inevitable doom.

~o~O~o~

Roxas cautiously entered through the archway and into the foyer, keeping as quiet as possible while he made his way past the common room where Aqua waited. He had almost cleared the obstacle of a room when he was halted by the voice of his guardian.

"Roxas." The azurette spoke hesitantly as if unsure the blonde was even home or if she was just hearing things in her sleep-deprived state. Roxas hung his head and moved into the room's entrance. Aqua was facing out the small window, gazing solemnly at the still sleeping sea, her back to Roxas.

Roxas took a deep breath and inched into the room. He waited a moment, letting the thick silence loom over the two of them. Finally, he conjured up the courage to break the heavy silence and cleared his throat.

"Um…Hi Aqua."

Aqua whipped around, surprised.

"Roxas!" before he had time to blink, Roxas was enveloped in a bone crushing hug. Not being prepared for his guardian's overly relieved embrace he let out a startled yelp, fumbling backwards. "Roxas, oh thank God you're safe! I was worried sick!" Aqua cooed stroking the blonde's hair soothingly. She pulled back, holding Roxas by his shoulders. "You aren't hurt are you? How many fingers am I holding up?" she drew her hand to her face and held up her ring, middle, and pointer finger so that the confused teen could see.

"Aqua, what kind of question is that?"

"Just answer my question!"

Roxas sighed. "Three." He rolled his eyes and Aqua nodded.

"Wait… Aren't you mad?" Roxas asked, a bit shocked the azurette hadn't lashed out at him the second he swam in.

"Furious." Aqua answered plainly. "But I'm just glad you're safe." She pecked Roxas' forehead and held him to her chest. "I was so scared I'd lost you." She whispered shakily. When she let go, Roxas turned to leave so Aqua wouldn't realize his missing necklace, but the mermaid was too sharp and stopped him before he could swim an inch. "Roxas, dear, where's your pendant? I couldn't help but notice that it's not around your neck."

Roxas cringed but turned back around.

"Well… I um… _misplaced _it…?" the blonde fibbed clumsily, smiling sheepishly.

"Oh, please, Roxas. You really believe I'd fall for _that _excuse?" Aqua asked placing her hands on her hips. Roxas lowered his head.

"No."

"Then where is it _really_?"

Roxas panicked. _What am I supposed to tell her? 'Some human stole it while I saved his life'?_ he took a deep breath and came up with a false explanation on the spot, praying Aqua would fall for it.

"I think it got caught on something and the chain broke." He looked down trying his best to look genuinely guilty. Aqua narrowed her eyes but slowly believed the bogus story.

"Well if that's the case then you should go out and find it as soon as possible." She scolded gently and jerked her head, gesturing to the archway. Roxas breathed relief and smiled honestly.

"I will, don't worry." He swam to the exit of the room before Aqua stopped him once more.

"And, Roxas, it is _crucial _that you find it before anyone else does, do you hear me?" the tone of urgency irked the blonde. He nodded cautiously then bolted out and away from the house.

As Roxas swam he tired hope after hope and worry after worry concerning his simple trinket. '_Maybe I left it in my satchel for some reason.' 'It's lost forever!' 'That damned human took it and it's probably sold and gone!' _it wasn't long before he'd arrived at the deteriorating shipwreck where he'd almost turned into shark-food. Without stopping he moved down to the ocean floor to where the wood met the sand and reached into a splintering hole of the ship, pulling out the familiar gray satchel. He'd hidden it there to prevent Aqua from snooping and specifically taking back the photo he'd discretely shoved into the bag while the azurette wasn't looking. Roxas hastily folded the lip of the satchel open, scanning the contents and shuffling through the mismatched baubles he'd collected and left in the simple sling bag. He groaned.

"Of course it's not in here!" Roxas sighed, slipping into a sitting position and letting his head fall back against the wood of the ship. His eyes fell shut. "I can't face Aqua without that necklace, she'll have my head!" The subtle swish of displacing water caught Roxas' ear. It got louder and louder and then just stopped in front of him. He opened his discontented cobalt eyes and lifted them to the source of the gentle noise.

A stranger had presented themself in front of Roxas, their lips upturned into an unsettling smile.

"_So, I understand you've lost something very dear to you."_

* * *

**A/N: Well, there it is! So, who is this mysterious mer-person? Will Roxas find his charm? Did Axel and Demyx get their free doughnuts? (I can answer that now… no, they did not.**_**Demyx: what? D: **_**me: Sorry, Dem - _ -) find out the other two answers in **_**The Little Ningyo: Chapter 3**_**!**

**Review for a Kingdom Cookie**

**And remember, kiddies; flames are for Axels, not for Authors :D**

**~Roxy~**


	3. I'll Strike You a Deal

**Disclaimers!: guess what? I **_**still**_** don't own any part of Square Enix, Disney, or Kingdom Hearts. My life is empty ._.**

**A/N: Well, here's the not-so-long awaited chapter 3! This chapter will clear some stuff up so hang on tight and let's venture forth and read! Tally ho!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 3: I'll Strike You a Deal

"So, I understand you've lost something very dear to you." The voice was shrill and feminine and rightfully so, the unfamiliar figure was that of a woman.

"Yeah, so?" Roxas grumbled, groping at where his necklace usually hung, not used to how bare his neck felt. The woman's acid green eyes danced with amusement.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I haven't formerly introduced myself yet, have I? I am Larxene." Larxene wasn't like most merfolk—she wasn't half _fish_. Her tail was black and split eight ways like an octopus and met her pasty white skin at her chest.

Roxas narrowed his eyes skeptically at the other blonde. "Wait. Larxene the _sea witch?_" he accused, already righting himself into a vertical position in case he'd need to swim fast away from the frightening woman.

"Oh, so they still call me that hideous name back home, do they?" she chortled, lurching forward, closer to Roxas who inched backwards, his back hitting the frail wood of the sunken ship. "Don't be afraid, child. I can help you." Her hand darted out, taking hold of Roxas' wrist.

"Well, I-I don't—"

"Come." Before Roxas could protest, he was tugged away from the shipwreck and off to an unknown destination.

~o~O~o~

After almost an hour of swimming silently, the pair made it into a dark menacing underwater cavern where the large daunting carcass of a killer Fishboné laid. As they passed beneath the eerily sharp teeth of the evil creature, Roxas cringed, finally coming to his senses.

"I really shouldn't be here." He choked out, yanking his arm back, unable to shake the sea witch. Larxene continued forward, dragging the younger blonde with her.

"Oh, shouldn't you? After all, you can't go home to _dear, sweet Aqua_ until you've retrieved that trinket which, if I remember correctly, originally belonged to your poor, deceased parents." The bitter sweet venom in her words caused unease to rise in Roxas' chest. It didn't help that once the pair had made it through an open archway and into a round room, two heavy, rock doors were shut behind them by a couple of taupe electric eels. _There goes my escape plan…_ Roxas thought as his wrist was released. He turned to Larxene who had made her way to a mirror and grooming table across the room.

"You… know about my parents?" Roxas swam forward, speaking cautiously; not noticing as the two eels from earlier slid past him and nuzzled Larxene who pet them fondly.

"Quite intimately, actually." Once she finished freshening up, Larxene moved back over to Roxas, her eels close behind her. "Theirs is a sad story, indeed. I was unaware they had another son, until now."

"Then how did you know I was related to them? And did you say _another_?"

"Oh, you're the spitting image of your mother. Lovely mermaid, really." She sighed, seamlessly glossing over Roxas' latter question. "Such a shame she had to go so young."

Roxas gaped at Larxene in shock and almost disbelief.

"Hm? Did Aqua never _tell _you? Well, that's not very good of her, especially after what she'd done." Larxene looked down at Roxas with pitying green eyes.

"What do you know about my parents? What has Aqua been hiding from me?" the teen asked desperately. The older blonde shook her head sadly and motioned for Roxas to come further into the chamber.

"Oh, I know their entire story; everything from their forbidden romance to their unfortunate fate." She looked fixedly at Roxas. "Are you sure you want to know your parent's story?"

Roxas nodded fervently. "More than anything!"

Larxene sighed. "Alright, I'll start from the beginning. Not long after my banishment, I realized just how awful my deeds had been and decided to repent and make a switch. I decided to help wayward souls and give them what they most desired for a small price or—sometimes—no price at all. Your sweet mother was one of those poor unfortunate souls who came to me in her time of need. I suppose Aqua never told you about your father?"

Roxas shook his head, "Nope, nothing."

Larxene chuckled darkly, "Well, then, you'll _love _this. When your mother came to me, she was desperate. Turned out, she and your father were of different worlds," the witch took a minor pause, "that of ocean and that of land—"

"My dad was a _human_?"

"Yes." Larxene put simply. "Now shut up and let me tell the story." She cleared her throat and continued. "Having turned over a new leaf, I offered to help her. She gladly took my offer and presto! I gave your father fins and the two left, one hundred percent satisfied." Thin blonde eyebrows furrowed in feign misery and disdain. "But when that wretch Aqua found out, she turned them into sea foam as punishment for their 'unnatural' relationship. Their fate was absolutely tragic."

Roxas, now a mixture of disappointed, furious, and plain confused, pointed out, "If Aqua hated my parents so much, why would she take me in if she knew who I was? She always spoke of my parents so fondly." he looked down at the floor, dazed. Would Aqua really do that? She never was the one to bring them up in conversation. But would she really go so far as to kill his parents all because it wasn't "natural"? Did she really have the gall to adopt him after disposing of his mother and father so freely-

Roxas was yanked from his mental spiral when an icy arm found its way around his shoulder and pulled him into Larxene's sympathetic embrace. The younger blonde squirmed slightly, uncomfortable with his current position.

"I know it's a hard pill to swallow, child, but it's true. Aqua was at least smart enough to realize you were not to blame. She knew that you were just a victim of vicious circumstance, but that doesn't mean she is any less guilty of the crime she has committed." Larxene loosened her hold on Roxas and gently pushed him over to a large disturbing cauldron poised at the center of the circular room. The sea witch moved to the opposite side of the shallow rocky basin which glowed an eerie violet and churned unnervingly.

"So then, why is the charm my parents left me so important? Aqua seemed pretty adamant that I find it no matter what."

"It was never supposed to belong to _you_. The trinket you lost was your parent's payment to me." Larxene looked up from the cauldron at Roxas, whose face was twisted with further confusion. "Aqua stole it from me." The witch clenched her fists. "She snatched it from me only a day before she wiped out your mother and father. She knew that if I had that pendant, the transaction would be complete and your parents would be under my protection. If I had my payment returned, I could reconstruct its original owner from the sea foam. If I had it back in my possession, I could bring your mother back. Your father, however; well, I'd need something representing _him_ to—"

"Will this do?" Roxas shuffled through his bag and drew out the ovular picture frame he'd taken from the azurette he was now trying so hard to get away from. "I didn't know who it was at first, but judging by Aqua's reaction, I'd say this is a photo of my dad before he crossed over." He stretched over the basin to hand Larxene the old wooden frame. She took it and stared at it a moment before nodding.

"It is indeed. Yes, this should do just fine." She set it on a nearby table and returned back to where she had originally been at the cauldron.

Roxas crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at the sea witch. "Can you actually _do_ this?"

Larxene clapped her hands together and a devious smile crept onto her lips. "My dear, sweet child, it's what I _do_. It's what I _live_ for." She stopped and brought her finger to her cheek in thought. She looked Roxas over with a scrutinizing eye before continuing. "Oh, but dear, you can't go on land looking like _that_—"

"Woah, who said anything about _me_ going on land?" Roxas cut in, shaking his head. "No, that's just a mess waiting to happen."

"I'm doing this for you, this isn't for me; so you need to find the charm on your own. I will help you though; I'll give you legs. Let's make a deal, hm?" Larxene grinned at the teenager across the cauldron who in return nodded. "Good! Here are the guidelines, alright?" she brought her hand up and counted the terms on her fingers. "One, I'll give you legs for as long as it takes for you to find that pendant. Two, bring that pendant back to me and I'll bring back your parents." As the blonde witch spoke, Roxas nodded silently. Larxene looked Roxas over again and sighed. "And, as I've said, you can't go looking like _that_, Aqua would find you in a heartbeat and then nobody wins. I will alter your appearance, not drastically, mind you; I still need to be able to recognize you. Oh, and I'm taking your voice."

Roxas blinked in puzzlement. "Why do you need to take my voice?"

"For shits and giggles, I guess. I just think 'might as well go all the way' right?" Larxene shrugged. "So, have we got a deal?" She flicked her bony wrist and in one swift motion a shimmering golden contract floated just over a foot from Roxas' face. "Sign the dotted line, please." The sea witch cooed, conjuring up a quill and holding it out to the apprehensive teen.

"I don't know…" Roxas reached for the quill but quickly retracted his hand, unsure of his decision.

"Oh, don't tell me you're getting cold fins now." Larxene pressured him, pushing both the contract and the quill forward. Roxas snatched it and on a thoughtless impulse signed his name along the bottom of the page, solidifying what could possibly be the worst mistake of his life. Larxene snapped her wrist upwards and the document retreated into the palm of her pale hand. Clapping her hands, she summoned the two taupe eels. "Ansem, Xehanort! I'll need the Sea Wasp Venom from the top shelf, Humboldt ink from the middle shelf, and human tongue, hair, and eyeballs from the bottom shelf."

The eels slunk to a suspended clam like fixture that slowly creaked open, revealing a cabinet that held a plethora of bottles, plants, and jars. The contents of the cabinet were questionable; chunks of coral, different types of pickled organs and a wide array of unrecognizable substances and solids. Roxas grimaced in disgust, suddenly regretting his actions. The slithery pair brought back the five containers in their mouths; one of the eels had three and the other carried two. Larxene received them and groaned.

"You kelp for brains! I said _Humboldt_ ink, not Bottletail ink." The witch mumbled some curses under her breath while swimming away from the basin. "I swear if you want something done right you've got to do it yourself." She gripped the flask of ink and switched it out with a clear bottle of Humboldt ink before returning and setting it next to the other ingredients on a nearby table. She paused and gathered her thoughts, cracking her knuckles and clearing her throat. She poured the first component—the venom—in causing the cauldron to roar and grumble.

Then she began to chant.

As she emptied the ink into the basin, she recited monotonously, "_Beluga sevruga_"

_Plunk, Plunk_

She dropped two human eyes in.

"_Come winds of the Oblivion Sea_"

The cauldron rumbled and screeched, its contents now bathing the room in a ghostly green fog.

_Hisssss_

The basin sputtered as Larxene added four human hairs.

"_Larengix glaucitis_"

She chucked the human tongue in as she recited the final words,

"_Et max laryngitis, la voce to me_"

A vortex shot up from the base of the cauldron, obstructing Roxas' view of Larxene. He was just about to question the ritual when something warm rose in his throat, choking his words and silencing him; and to make matters worse, a sudden shock of pain shot up his spine and directly to his head, overwhelming his senses and filling his ears with an unbearable ringing. He clapped his hands over his ears, desperately trying to shut out the onslaught of crippling pain. He opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out, instead, the force he gave in the attempt to yell pushed the thick heat in his throat up and out, leaving a disturbing vacancy behind.

The migraine slowly receded, but just as it became tolerable, the pain morphed into a horrible tearing sensation from his fins all the way up his tail. The more Roxas tried to scream, the more he wore himself out, clouding his vision and reviving the headache. Something hit his ears as his consciousness started to fade.

"Well, help the poor boy to the surface. We wouldn't want to lose a _valued customer_ to drowning, would we?"

Roxas' eyes drifted shut and his throat slammed shut, refusing to breathe in the water anymore. Something slick coiled around each of his arms, tugging him through the mouth of the Fishboné and up toward the surface. The last thing Roxas heard before passing out was a shrill cackling growing quieter as he grew nearer to the beach.

* * *

**A/N: LARXENE YOU BITCH D…PHEW! Finally! I don't know why this chapter took me so long. And yes, I did incorporate lines from the movie (including **_**Poor Unfortunate Souls**_**, but don't take it as a song, please take it as chanting. - . -) Don't get mad at me for not making the chant something clever… it's 5:30 am and I've been up all night writing this thing so I didn't have the dedication to do that.**

**Review for a Kingdom Cookie**

**And remember, kiddies, flames are for Axels, not Authors. C:**

**~Roxy~**


	4. Sea Legs

**Disclaimers!: Nothing's changed since last time… I still own nothing. D:**

**A/N: Yay, chapter 4! :D finally the part you all came here to read! Before we begin, I'd like to thank all my reviewers, you all give me the incentive to keep going with this story. I would especially like to honor my constant followers who review on almost every chapter! (You know who you are ;D) and my **_**Guest**_** reviewers because I can't thank you properly ._. I can't reply to anon reviews. Sob.**

**Sorry for the absence! I've discovered that: writer's block+conventions/cosplay+best friend+school and all it's terrors=taking a long freaking time to update! (see, math sucks Dx)**

**With all that said, it's time we move along to the story then! ONWARD HO!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 4: Sea Legs

With lungs itching and burning with the searing pain of invading salt water, Roxas floundered his way to shallow water. Once he struggled his way close enough to shore, he supported himself on his unfamiliar knees and gasped desperately, gulping in the crisp morning air. In between the sharp inhales, he hacked out a generous amount of sea water. Roxas doubled over and cringed at the sudden nausea that gripped his stomach. He lurched forward, something sour rising in his inflamed throat. He heaved; finally forcing the excess water out of his system, then fell back on his heels and took heavy breaths of relief.

It took Roxas a couple minutes to compose himself. He was wiping his mouth of the putrid remnants of brine and bile when something dark caught his eye. He whipped his head around and was slightly disturbed when his peripheral didn't clear. He made a full turn, but the dark clump never moved. A gentle breeze passed over the beach and the unknown shape twitched and tickled his cheek. Roxas flinched and smacked at the side of his face, trapping the irritating visual intrusion under his palm. He blinked in confusion, taking the tuft between his fingers and tugging it. The jerk caused the muted teenager to wince, proving that whatever he had in his fist was attached to his head.

_What the hell?_

Roxas crouched over the water and stared into his reflection.

Well… his hair definitely wasn't _blonde_ anymore.

As he scanned his own face, Roxas realized that he looked the same aside from the color of his hair and eyes. His hair had been tainted an inky black and his eyes seemed to have had all the color drained from them and were left a dull gray.

_I guess this is what she meant by changing appearance._ Roxas mused, cautiously touching his face as if he were making sure it was really _his_ face he was gaping at.

Roxas crawled for the sand, not sure he was ready to stand yet, but all his sensibility swam out the window when a tall silhouette slunk into his line of sight.

"Huh? Hey, is someone over there?"

Roxas jumped at the stranger's voice, scrambling to his feet once he had reached the edge of the water. His new legs trembled, but before he could topple over, he took a wary step forward. He took a deep breath; almost sure he was ready to bring his other foot forward when a tremor ran up his spine and threw him off balance. Roxas screwed his eyes shut, expecting a hard fall to the sand, but when no such sensation came, he cracked one eye open. Two long arms had found their way around his shoulders, supporting his smaller frame.

The stranger let out a chuckle.

"That was close; you almost took a nasty spill."

Roxas looked up at his savior, took a moment to register, then went pale in the face.

Bright, fiery, crimson was the first thing that caught his attention. Next were the man's strange, navy diamond tattoos under each of his sharp harlequin eyes.

It was _him_.

The man he'd been spying on, the very same who he'd mistakenly saved. The same man who_ had his necklace_.

Roxas fumbled out of the stranger's hold and staggered back a foot or two, looking the tall redhead over, scanning for the pendant. He didn't get a very thorough look before a hand was offered to him.

"The name's Axel, got it memorized?" the redhead grinned, using his free index finger to tap his temple. "What's your name? And what are you doing—" he trailed off, a deep blush gradually coloring his face. "without any clothes on…" Axel averted his eyes and removed the black zip-up jacket he'd been wearing and thrust his arm forward, offering it to Roxas who just gave it a quizzical look. Axel held it closer, urging the teen to take it. "Just put this on." He prompted, furrowing his eyebrows. Roxas reached out cautiously and gripped the article of clothing, pulling it close to him. The fabric was still warm, even its scent was warm; it was a sort of sharp smell with a hint of spice—it was unlike anything he'd ever come in contact with. It must have been a scent indigenous to land judging by its blatant unfamiliarity to him.

Roxas held the cloth at arms length, inspecting it while trying to make sense of the logistics of the jacket. First, he pulled it on upside down and backwards. He furrowed his now black eyebrows and decided that configuration wasn't correct. He tried again—front-ways, but still upside down. A couple failed attempts and scowls of silent frustration later, Roxas threw in the towel and tapped Axel's shoulder, finally choosing help over aggravation. Axel turned his head and sighed through his grin.

"Here, let me help." He helped Roxas out of the troublesome piece of clothing and then aided him back into it. The redhead bent down and fastened the ends of the zipper together before dragging the metal tab up to Roxas' collar bone, closing the jacket. "There you go." He said triumphantly.

The jacket came down to Roxas' knees and the sleeves were a few inches longer than his actual arms. The fabric hung a bit loose on him and, overall, the jacket was too large to fit the teenager correctly, but it was the perfect size to cover him up until more suitable clothes could be acquired.

"Hey," Axel cupped Roxas' chin and tilted his head up, examining him closely. "You seem… _really_ familiar. Have we met?"

Roxas flushed red, averting his eyes. He wasn't sure if he should nod in response or just keep quiet for fear of attachment. But on the same token, he knew Axel may not give him his necklace back if he didn't identify himself.

He nodded hesitantly.

Axel's acidic eyes brightened.

"I knew it!" His smile faltered and he paused. "But… _Where_ do I know you from?" He knit his crimson eyebrows together, contemplating the younger boys' features again. "You're obviously not from around here." He leaned back, stroking his chin thoughtfully then shrugged. "Eh, it'll come to me, I'm sure." The corners of the redhead's mouth curled up into a friendly grin. "So, you got a name… or is it like your clothes in that you don't have one?"

"…" Roxas automatically went to introduce himself but was quickly reminded of his muted state and all he could offer was the lip movement necessary to say his name. His hand shot up to his throat, momentarily shocked when nothing came out.

"You can't talk?"

Doleful gray eyes drifted to meet striking green ones. Roxas shook his head.

"Well," Axel clapped his hands together and smirked once again. "maybe I can guess it."

Roxas rolled his eyes, knowing that the events about to transpire would be painful to watch.

"Alright, I'll just run down the alphabet and say every male name I can think of for each letter."

…Okay, _really_ painful.

~o~O~o~

Axel had made it about halfway through the 'F's before Roxas clamped his palm over the outspoken redhead's mouth.

"Mmfph!?" he exclaimed through the obstruction. Roxas shook his head and held up his free hand, signaling Axel to wait where he was. The teen scampered to the edge of damp sand and knelt down, bunching the sleeves of the jacket up to his elbows and reaching down, drawing something out on the ground. After a moment or so, he beckoned with his hand for Axel to come to him. The redhead did so and looked over Roxas' shoulder at the letters written out in the sand.

"Oh, you're name is Roxas." He chuckled and scratched the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Honestly, I never would have guessed that…" he extended his arm to Roxas, helping the boy up when his expression turned sincere. "It's um… It's a really pretty name." he let go of Roxas' hand which—for some unexplained reason—left a sort of vacancy to linger that briefly depressed the younger of the two. Roxas was snapped from his quiet brooding when he heard his name. "Well, Roxas, we should probably get you some more fitting clothes."

Roxas nodded, looking down at the oversized top he was currently wearing.

"Alrighty then, we should get going." Just as Axel began to turn, a glimmer of something caused serious distraction to halt Roxas abruptly. Something that hung from Axel's neck caught the sunlight and hit the teen's eye—something silver. He jumped at the lanky man and they both tumbled to the ground. Axel winced when his back hit the sand. His pained expression remained as he gasped, "Ow…" it took a moment for Roxas to realize his knee was digging into Axel's stomach. He quickly removed it and opted to straddle the redhead for both the older man's comfort and, more importantly, his own stability.

Roxas spotted the four pointed star and thrust his hand for it, but just as he closed his fingers around the important piece of metal, Axel smirked slyly.

"_Roxas_! We just met." He snickered lightly, sparking a rosy blush from the teen who then hastily struggled his way off the redhead, now completely flustered. It didn't help that Axel was chortling at his humiliation. "Heh, come on, let's get you some decent clothes." Axel stood and, instead of just helping him up as he had in the past, scooped Roxas up with one arm under his knees and the other supporting his back. If the teen had a voice, he'd have let out a startled squeak.

"Well, Roxas, this looks like the start of a wonderful friendship." The redhead teased to which Roxas' blush deepened. And thus began the spiral into the uncharted depths of emotions unexplored.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

**A/N: BLARGH FINALLY! *dies* this chapter took so looong ; A ; yet… it's so short! OH! I'm kind of sorry for having to change Roxas' appearance, but you know… plot and all that jazz…. Bleh… whatever…**

**Anywhoziwhatsits; I'm going to be on a short hiatus for a couple weeks because of finals and their deadly powers to exhaust me and make me want to stab my eyes out with sewing pins ._. you know how it is. Who knows, maybe I **_**will**_** be able to write over the next couple weeks… I just don't want to get anyone's hopes up or make any promises .**

**As always, Review for a Kingdom Cookie and don't flame please… flames are for Axels, not authors C:**

**~Roxy~**


	5. Open Your Heart

**Disclaimers: No… I still don't own Square Enix or anything nice and fun like that…I am sad…**

**A/N: Guess who updated earlier than she thought she would! Be prepared for some character cameos! These next couple chapters are gonna be supporting cast-heavy. **

**Also, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers! You seriously are (and this is going to sound cliché) my driving force! I love hearing what you all think of my story! You are all so kind and make me so happy ; u ; thank you all _so much!_ 3 *gives all my readers a cookie just for the hell of it* COOKIES FOR EVERYONE!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 5: Open Your Heart

"Hey, Roxas, you want me to put you down?"

Axel walked down the beach, still carrying Roxas, and had been absently talking to him for approximately five minutes before he gave the suggestion. His question answered itself with a limp head against his collarbone and soft, steady breaths on his chest.

Roxas had fallen asleep.

Axel shut his mouth and continued walking, cradling the exhausted teenager.

Ten more minutes rolled by quietly before the redhead gently jostled Roxas awake. Upon his journey to consciousness, Roxas took a deep, yawning breath. His eyelashes batted open, revealing hazy gray eyes. He slowly lifted his hand up and used the back of it to rub the sleep from them. He wasn't ready to wake up, but before he could defiantly curl back up against Axel's warmth, a strangely familiar scent hit him, causing Roxas to whip his head around and look about, thoroughly confused. It was distinctly briny, and intensely so. It reeked of dead fish and sweat. It was the same smell he recalled from the ship, not so many nights prior. He scanned the area and quickly discovered the reason as to _why_ it was a scent so akin to the one he remembered from that exciting expedition to the surface. Several supply ships were lined up by the wooden planks of the dock, bobbing along on the short, calm mid-morning waves while boxes, crates, and barrels were carried to and from the ship decks. In the midst of the seemingly endless flow of cargo darted about a spry young man, jumping non-stop from person to person, directing the coming and going, giving orders, and helping organize what came off the ships near the edge of the docks. When he brought his head up from setting a barrel upright, he noticed the two walking his direction and hopped swiftly over the stout mound of crates, jogging to meet them half-way up the dock.

"Axel! What've you been up to? Just coming back from your morning stroll, I presume."

Axel set Roxas carefully on his feet—still keeping a supporting hand on his shoulder, which Roxas secretly really appreciated—before responding.

"Yeah, y'know, just nearly drowning, fruitlessly tracking a possibly imaginary person, finding mute kids washed up on the beach, the usual." Axel shrugged sarcastically, earning a dark scowl from the 'mute kid washed up on the beach' that stood next to him. The glare didn't go unnoticed by the redhead who gave a quiet chuckle and proceeded to introduce the, now quite offended, teenager. "Zack, this is Roxas." He said, gesturing at the latter. Zack smiled, setting his hand on Roxas' head, ruffling his ebony spikes.

"I'm gonna take a guess that _this_ is the 'mute kid' you were referring to?"

Axel gave a curt nod.

"Hey, you be careful around Ax—he's an incurable delinquent." Zack half-heartedly warned Roxas, snickering at the feign offence the redhead's face had taken on.

"I resent that." He retorted.

"Speaking of which," Zack lowered his voice and drew his face down in sincerity. "I heard about what happened with that ship the other night. That's the third one this year you know. Reno and I can't keep covering for you like thi—"

"So what have you been up to, Zack? I see you just got back from a trip." Axel cut in, veering the topic of conversation way away from the matter of ship inferno and his corresponding pyromania.

To this, Zack decided to roll with the redhead instead of attempt reason with him.

"Yeah, just got back from a quick supply run to Radiant Garden. We had recruited some new guys there a few months back; it must have been nice being back home for a few days."

"Everything's been unloaded, Zack." The unexpected voice caused the three to jump and turn their eyes to the source.

"Oh, Cloud, you startled me. So, how's the course to Traverse Town looking?"

"Fine, as long as we get underway in the next couple days."

"Good, good." He paused, tapping his chin in thought. "Hey, Cloud, how have the other crew members been? I've been so swamped with trade contracts and other work that I haven't been able to talk to them much."

"Why ask _me_? You know I hate talking to those drunkards." Cloud crossed his arms across his chest.

"Really? Because _I've_ come to understand that you have gotten _very_ close to one of our newer recruits—Leon, right? I'm _sure_ you talk to _him_." Zack gave a sly grin at the blonde, who quickly picked up on the insinuation. He sputtered, a faint blush already creeping up his cheeks which only deepened when a slight chortle leaked from the redhead across from him. Cloud shot a flustered glower at Axel who in turn swallowed his laughter, but couldn't help but sustain an entertained smirk spurred by the interesting conversation. Cloud reestablished eye contact with Zack.

"How did you—"

"Don't think I haven't noticed how often you hang around each other. And it hasn't evaded my attention that you're bed is still made—"

"We're _supposed_ to make our beds."

"Yes, but we change bedding every week and yours hasn't changed for a _month_." Zack's grin broke into a full smile, greatly amused with his friend's rebuttal.

"W-well," Cloud faltered a moment, making it painfully obvious he didn't have an opposing comment on tap. "That isn't enough to prove anything." He stated waveringly.

"Oh, and your appearance is a dead giveaway." Zack chuckled before continuing. "Because, last _I_ checked, you don't _own_ anything white, and even if you did, you really shouldn't wear your shirts backwards." He pointed out the silk tag peeking out from under the collar of the turned around shirt that gently pressed against Cloud's throat. Thoroughly embarrassed, the blonde turned tail and bolted back in the direction of the ship without another word to the other three. Zack turned back to Axel and Roxas and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry about that, guys. I know it may not be the most tactful way to go about helping him, but I just wish he would be more, I dunno… _open_ to other people." His smile softened with fondness. "If nothing else, he's confiding in at least _one_ other person." It took only a moment for the bright, infectious grin to reappear. "Well, I better get going, I'd hate to hold you guys up from… whatever you're doing and I won't hear the end of it if I don't get back to help soon." He waved as he turned to head back up the dock. Once Zack had disappeared behind the taller stacks of supplies, Roxas lowered his eyes to the ground; a previously buried conversation pushed its way to the forefront of his brain and itched uncomfortably in his mind.

_"Roxas, we never _talk_ anymore. You've really isolated yourself lately and it worries me. I don't want you to become depressed and lonely because you don't chose to open your heart to anyone."_

Aqua's words rung in his head and perplexed him. He couldn't for the life of him recall any other aspect of that particular conversation, but the message itself was what really confused him; Roxas began turning excuse after excuse, question after question over in his mind.

_I did _too_ talk to her… she was just overreacting, I'm sure… I'm not really that much of a loner am I?_

"-s."

_I had friends. Maybe we weren't that close, but I still had a social life… I'm not going to die alone… She was just trying to get under my skin… But, why?_

"-xas?"

_Has she ever considered that maybe I don't _want_ to 'open my heart' for other people?... She never told _me_ everything… She's just a hypocritical—_

"Roxas!" emphatic snapping yanked him from his musings and he jerked his head up only to smack it audibly against Axel's. The redhead mumbled a few curses under his breath as he rubbed his jaw where the collision had shot a sharp dagger-like pain up his skull. Roxas, unfortunately, could not let out any sort of distressed noise; no yelp, cry, bark, squeak, squawk—nothing. He had to settle for a very pained twist in his expression. "Ow… what I was gonna say was that we should probably get going." Axel looked Roxas up and down and tacked on, "Besides, I think it would be beneficial for us both if you got some suitable clothes, like, _soon_, or at least…" he paused "some pants."

~o~O~o~

The town wasn't very far off from the docks. In fact, Roxas realized as they stepped off the wooden planks leading to said docks, some of the taller buildings poked up from behind the mass that was a surrounding forest, proving the existence of civilization beyond it.

Axel led Roxas along a wide brick road cutting through the dense cluster of trees. The bottom of the teen's feet grew colder with each step on the shaded stone, each sharp pebble or dislodged hunk of brick was a new pinch or prod in a different part of his soles. However inconvenient these small pricks were, they were nothing he couldn't just ignore, but the mess of thorn-ridden vines that inconspicuously laid, strewn out on the side of the path with its origin from within the brush was a whole new category of pain. Roxas had been walking close behind Axel the whole trip and so assumed the redhead would warn him of any dangerous obstacles he'd have to avoid, but because Axel had been wearing shoes, he hadn't even noticed the intertwining vines. With his eyes up, Roxas didn't realize the danger until the sharp thorns were digging painfully into most areas of his feet. He tripped, tangling himself in the thin group of vines. He lunged forward and encircled Axel's unsuspecting arm in a vice grip in a half decent attempt to keep from tripping forward and smashing his face into the ground.

"Ow! Roxas, what the hell—" Axel whipped his head around in reaction to the sudden tugging on his left arm but cut himself off as soon as he caught sight of the teen's excruciating pain and where aforementioned pain originated. He assisted Roxas into a sitting position on the road so as to prevent further injury as best he could before kneeling down in front of the patch of thorns, carefully removing one of the thorns. The response he got from the teen was expected, but that didn't make it any better. Immediately following the first extraction, Roxas winced and gave a nearly inaudible gasp. Something hot stung at the corners of his eyes; it was a sensation he was fairly familiar with—one that was commonly associated with being upset, he could have anticipated it with the amount of pain he was experiencing, but what he wasn't ready for was the water spilling down his cheeks. He physically jumped, startled by his own action.*

By the time Axel had finished expertly removing all the thorns, tears were streaming shamelessly down Roxas' face. Axel shoved the vines aside and scooted closer to Roxas, cupping his wet cheeks in his hands.

"Hey, you alright? I know it hurt, but it's all over now. I can carry you the rest of the way—" Axel stopped to really look at Roxas and just a moment later was trembling in a fit of laughter, pulling one of his hands from Roxas' cheek to wipe away the tears that plagued his own face. "Haha wh-what's with the 'deer in headlights' look?"

Roxas snapped back to reality, blinking away the last of the tears that still lingered in his round, shocked eyes.

Axel stood, and then bent back down to hoist the dazed teen up, holding him in the same fashion he'd been carrying him earlier that day.

"The streets in town are pretty safe; I'll set you back down when we get there."

Roxas nodded sleepily and curled up against Axel, dozing lightly. What was it about this man that comforted him so much? Was it his higher-than-usual body heat? Was it his smooth voice that calmed his mood? Was it the way he smelled—that intoxicating warmth that was so foreign to Roxas?

More importantly, what did those words mean?

Roxas felt as if the two questions were connected somehow. It was all so cryptic to him.

"_Open your heart."_ The phrase rushed back to the forefront of his brain just as he slipped into placating, dreamless sleep.

…_Open my heart to what?_

* * *

**A/N: What's _this_, Roxas? Are these *gasp* _feelings!?_ **

**I actually feel kind of bad because I had intended to have Roxas properly clothed by the end of this chapter but… he's not ._.**

**Haha, other than that, YAY! Characters! There are plenty more to come. This chapter was actually supposed to be longer, but this was just such a perfect cut off so I left it. **

***For the crying bit: yes, he _has _cried before, but underwater: A) the pressure may give the tear ducts a hard time pushing tears out and B) because he was _underwater_ he wouldn't know that there was more water coming from his eyes, so physically, Roxas had never _cried_ cried… yeah… just clearing that up. **

**As always, review for a Kingdom Cookie**

**And flames are for Axels, not authors C:**

**~Roxy~**


	6. Something Familiar

**[DISCLAIMERS]: Guess who **_**still**_** doesn't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the Final Fantasy games or movies? THAT'S RIGHT, ME! ….. sob….**

**A/N: Hiya, everyone! Roxy here with another installment of **_**It's Always Sunset Here**_** aaaand MERRY (almost) CHRISTMAS! ….well…. **_**happy holidays**_**… e _ e dammit, it's December 23th, so it's freaking Christmas! You should all know how much I freaking love you! I worked my ass off writing all this over finals week! You're welcome! Haha, love y'all! Now on to the story!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 6: Something Familiar

Roxas drifted in and out of sleep for the remainder of their journey; however, he never let it show when he woke for fear the redhead carrying him would put him back down. The twenty minute trek gave the teen time to think—a pastime he didn't particularly enjoy as it usually led to frustration or guilt. He had hoped that in his drowsy state, he wouldn't be able to think too deeply and it wouldn't lead to such feelings.

But fate didn't seem to like Roxas very much lately.

As he dozed quietly, curled up against Axel's chest, Roxas silently cursed himself. _'If I had just let you _drown_ none of this would have happened…'_ his mood softened, _'But, on the other hand, if I had let you drown I would have had to deal with the guilt of practically _killing_ someone.' _He squeezed his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to fall back asleep and rid his mind of the thoughts that just wouldn't stop. Unfortunately, fate _really_ wasn't on Roxas' side right now. His head kept swimming with guilty thoughts of letting the man holding him drown that domino-ed into thoughts of how disappointed Aqua would be right now.

"Roxas, time to wake up."

Luckily, Roxas' broodings were cut short by Axel's voice—even if it did startle the seemingly asleep teen enough for him to fall gracelessly from the redhead's hold and land hard on the cement sidewalk.

"Oh, geeze, sorry about that." Axel held out his hand to help the fallen mute up, grinning sheepishly. "We're here."

Roxas took the redhead's hand and nodded in acknowledgement. Once standing, he looked around, observing their new surroundings.

Even though it should have been coming up on noon, the town was bathed in all different shades of pink and orange—as if the sun was just setting—and the majority of the town's buildings couldn't quite match the height of it's surrounding trees. Only a couple within sight could creep above the wooden giants of nature. The structures weren't very uniform in size or color, but in design they were all very similar. They all sported steep shingled roofs in some way with the exception of the occasional upper floor patio that sat flat with a safety rim that, in Roxas' opinion, didn't appear to_be_ very safe. Each of their doors were stout and typically colored some unnatural color like bright green or sky blue and every so often along the road, one door would have piles of junk stacked outside—flower pots, crates, rope, iron skillets, and bottles, some in tact, some shattered, some full with whatever humans drink, but mostly ones that were empty… of any liquid, at least.

Axel nudged Roxas along, leading him down the narrow sidewalks that framed equally narrow sienna brick roads. The streets were vacant for the most part as they casually walked along the cold roads—everything was so _cold_. Nothing seemed warm to Roxas after Axel set him down. He missed the soothing warmth the man had to offer—willingly or not—so kept glued to the redhead's side in an effort to regain that warmth. He supposed it didn't help that he still only wore an oversized jacket that honestly didn't cover that much of him.

They walked a couple minutes in silence as they approached the heart of town, where the streets soon became thick with the hustle and bustle of life; though it didn't take much for the streets to crowd when there was so little room on them. Axel wasted no time in pushing rudely past the people in his way, tugging Roxas close behind him until the pair broke free of the swarm of townspeople and stood in a miniscule clearing in front of a building much like all the others, although the buildings that dominated that part of town were distinctly different than the ones he'd seen earlier. Most had window displays and glass doors instead of wooden. Each new door had a sign that swung above it with an illustration carved or painted onto it. _'So this must be where humans shop. Interesting.'_ Roxas turned to look at the letters neatly painted on the window display, but before he could make out any of the words, he was yanked into the store by his guide.

Once inside the shop, something icy traveled mercilessly up Roxas' spine, putting the teen on edge right from the get-go. The atmosphere was unsettling and eerie. In contrast to the soft, friendliness outdoors, this place was cold. The walls, ceiling, floor, and furniture were all white. The only colors were those given by the clothes themselves and the floral weapon mounted above the counter that held nothing but a bright white register. There were two more doors inside in addition to the entrance; they were both closed and they were both wooden, but one was positioned at the back of the store and was labeled 'AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY' in bold black lettering; the other was a side door and had no sign—it was just a blank, white door.

"Hey! Marly?! You here?!" Axel shouted into the empty shop "Gaysy daisy!" he sang out a tad louder. The side door swung open and smacked against the wall with a loud bang. Axel beamed at the fuming individual in the doorway. From the looks of it, the area on the other side of that door was likely a florist shop identifiable by the bright welcoming splashes of color behind the man who was now staring Axel down.

The man was young, but worn and shadowed by exhaustion. There were dark circles underneath each of his tired ultra marine eyes and his mauvelous tresses were sloppily tied in a ponytail. Messy bangs framed his tired face and the presence of frizzy flyaway hairs indicated a busy schedule. He wore a loose, faded, violet T-shirt, stonewashed jeans, and a simple black apron tied around his neck and waist. There was also a nametag fastened to the front of said apron, but Roxas couldn't read it from where he stood. The stranger had his arms crossed and he stepped into the store, leaving the festive one behind when he shut the door.

"How many times have I told you to not call me that?" the man stepped to the front counter and glared Axel down from behind the register.

"No 'Gaysy Daisy' huh?" Axel tapped his chin thoughtfully. "How about gayzalea?"

"No."

"Marigoldilocks?"

"No."

"Balls of Ireland?"

"First of all, it's _Bells_ of Ireland. Second, I'm not _Irish_. And lastly, no."

"Penis Willow?"

"It's _Pussy_ Willow, you bleeding imbici—"

"Not for _you _it's not." Silence hung in the room for just a beat before Axel jumped back into his teasing the other man. "C_lover_ boy?"

"Okay, now you're just being a moron."

"Fine. Can I call you Queersanthemum?"

The shop owner moved to the mounted weapon, running his fingers along its handle.

"You know, Axel, this scythe isn't just for _decoration_." He turned his torso to look at Axel with a malicious glint in his languid eyes, his hand still resting on the green rod of the scythe.

_'This guy is terrifying!'_ Roxas clung to Axel even more, officially scared for his life. Everything about him screamed 'petrified', and the shopkeeper noticed this. He brought his hand down from the weapon and walked back to the counter, studying Roxas.

"Hey, who's this? I haven't seen him around." The room went silent. "Though he seems awfully quiet so maybe he just didn't leave much of an impression." He leaned forward on the white counter with his arms crossed and shot a glance at Axel.

"Nah, he's new. This is Roxas."

The owner extended his hand across the countertop to Roxas and he gave a light grin.

"I'm Marluxia and this is Pink Ribbon Outfitters, the shop next door is my cousin's old shop that she left me to run after she passed, Pink Ribbon Florist."

Roxas stared at Marluxia's hand, confused. The man retracted it.

"Sorry about that scene. I swear I'm not that cruel to strangers; hot-crotch over here is a different story, though."

"Psh, you'd know all about hot-cro—"

Axel's witty comeback was cut short by a strong fist to the face. The once proud redhead fell against the counter, gripping his poor bleeding nose.

"Ow! What the fuck, man? Listen, we just came here for some clothes, okay?" he stood straight as best he could and continued with his hand still covering the part of his face that took the most damage. "And all I ask is that I get just a _teeny weeny _discount." He bargained as gently as he could. Ultra marine eyes narrowed at him.

"How much is 'teeny weeny'?" he asked skeptically.

"Well, I only have 20 munny…" Axel trailed off and averted his eyes from the infuriated shop clerk standing across from him. "B-but, I _swear_ I can pay you back once I land some more!"

"I'm still waiting for half of your _last_ payment."

"Please?" Axel sniffed the blood back and removed his hand to plead to Marluxia.

"You know I can't say yes. Ever since Aerith kicked the metaphorical flower pot, so to speak, I've had to run both of these shops and I'm running low on munny! I can't afford to give you more than a three munny discount, _upfront_."

"But just because Aerith is pushing up daisies doesn't mean you can't help a friend out!"

"Okay, I don't really consider you a friend and even if I did, I still can't do that. So, if you're not going to buy anything then _get out_!" Marluxia pointed to the door, but Axel made one last attempt at persuading the man.

"Oh, come _on_! The kid doesn't even have _pants_!" Axel gestured at Roxas who just stood, completely detached from the conversation.

Marluxia began pushing Axel and Roxas toward the door forcefully. He yanked the glass door open shoved them out and before shutting them out stated, "Well, I'm sure you'll figure _something_ out." And just like that the two were back on the sidewalk and Roxas still didn't have appropriate attire.

Axel groaned.

"Man, that's the only clothing shop within reasonable walking distance! We'll just have to wait until tomorrow when the tram tickets are discounted."

While Axel stood loathing himself for his broke-ness, Roxas' stomach made a low, inaudible growl. He reached out and tugged on Axel's sleeve to get the redhead's attention. When Axel turned, Roxas stared up at him, hoping he'd receive his message, but he didn't, so the famished teen opened his mouth wide and took his free index finger, pointing down his throat.

"Hungry?"

Roxas nodded.

"Me too." Axel chuckled. "I may not have much munny, but at least I have enough to feed a couple hungry mouths." He ruffled Roxas' hair, playfully. "C'mon, I know the perfect place."

~o~O~o~

"Here it is." Axel stopped them in front of a building about the size of Pink Ribbon Outfitters. "It may only be a couple years old, but this is the _best_ bakery in Twilight Town and I know the owners so there may even be a discount in our future."

Roxas raised an eyebrow skeptically at the redhead. '_Because that went _so_ well last time._'

"Oh, don't give me that look, come on." Axel pulled Roxas through the door into the bakery where they were both assaulted with the intoxicating scent of fresh food. Upon entering, Roxas immediately relaxed. The overall atmosphere of this shop was so much warmer and friendlier than the last one they'd visited. The walls were painted a deep brown with uniform, vertical coffee brown stripes and gold trim around where the walls met the ceiling which was just the deep brown. There were three small, round wooden tables with matching wooden chairs positioned around the room with nobody at them at the moment. At the front of the shop was a glass case that stretched almost all the way from one wall to the opposite with the exception of the small wooden counter that was only large enough to hold the black cash register atop it, and a swinging gate that led behind the counter. In the display were all kinds of different baked goods: breads, cookies, cakes, muffins, pies, scones, tarts, and a couple foods Roxas didn't recognize. Most of them he'd remembered from pictures he'd seen in human recipe books he had found during his frequent scavenging expeditions. He had always wanted to try some of them.

Axel led the newly excited teen further into the bakery when both of their attentions were turned to a conversation between a customer and, Roxas supposed, one of the owners.

"I'm sorry, Demyx, but Riku said I can't give you free doughnuts." The brunette behind the counter gave the customer an apologetic frown and shrugged. "I really am sorry; if it was up to me, you'd get all the free doughnuts you wanted, but Riku said it's bad for business." The clerk jolted when Axel shut the door and he peered around the tall blonde he had been tending to. "Welcome to Sweet Memories, how can I he—AXEL!"

Roxas expected a friendly wave or just a warm smile—what he _wasn't_ expecting was the jumpy brunette to speed out from behind the counter and _tackle_ Axel.

"You haven't stopped by in _forever_! Where have you been?"

Where had this sudden _rage_ come from? Roxas had only met Axel that morning, yet there he was, his heart burning with… _jealousy_?! No—no, it was definitely _not_ jealousy, but… if it wasn't that, then what was it? Roxas shook his head, trying to free his mind of these _feelings_. He turned his attention back to Axel and the brunette parasite attached to him.

"Woah, easy sport. I've just been busy lately and it's only been a day. So, how's Riku been?"

"Fine, he's in the back making some pretzels right now." The leech detached himself from Axel and led him and Roxas to the front of the store. His previous customer stood against the glass display where he'd been waiting patiently. "Hey, Dem, I can get you a discount if you say please!" he chirped, dashing back to his station at the register.

"Pleeeaaase?" Demyx pleaded.

"Alright, I'll take five munny off your purchase of a doughnut." The clerk took the blonde's munny and retrieved him a fresh doughnut dripping with strawberry glaze and multicolored sprinkles. Demyx yelped happily, grabbing the sugary confection and running to a table to devour it. Axel leaned on the counter, continuing his conversation with the bubbly brunette, much to Roxas' dismay.

"Hey, Sora?"

"Hm?"

"Your birthday's coming up right?"

Sora nodded, "Yup!"

"How old are you turning, again? Sixteen, seventeen?"

"Pft, funny, Axel." Sora chuckled, flicking Axel's forehead playfully. Roxas' eye twitched. "I'm turning twenty-one."

Wait. What?

No, there was no way this kid was two years older than Roxas—_no way!_ Roxas wrapped his arms around one of Axel's in a vice-like grip, though he still wasn't sure why he was so angry. Maybe he was just that hungry. Yeah. That's it. Hungry.

"And how long were you planning to keep _this_ from me?" Sora laughed, receiving two very confused looks. "After all that brooding, and complaining, and burning almost everything you could get your hands on, Axel, you _finally_ found someone who makes you happy!"

"Huh?"

Roxas wasn't entirely sure from where he stood, but it almost looked like Axel was _blushing_. _'What's with him?'_

"This is the happiest I've seen you in months, don't think I didn't notice." The brunette laughed again. "I'm just glad you finally gave up looking for that mystery boy. That was really eating at you."

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows. _'Mystery boy?'_ he stood looking off into space, contemplating the words. He was so out of it he didn't even realize that Sora had extended a hand to him.

"Hi, I'm Sora!"

Roxas jerked his head up to meet eager sapphire eyes, and then turned his own gaze back down to the hand in front of him. _'This is the second time today, what do they expect me to do?'_ Before Roxas had much time to consider a line of possible expectations, Sora had grabbed his hand and began shaking it vigorously.

"His name is Roxas. He can't talk." Axel explained.

"Sora, are you terrorizing the customers again?" someone chuckled from the doorway that led into the kitchen. He had his pale arms crossed over his chest and a teasing grin on his face. His argent hair was pulled back and his long bangs were pinned away from his face revealing striking aquamarine eyes that danced with amusement.

"What? No! I would never!" Sora defended, pouting in mock upset.

"Mhm." The silverette chuckled and wrapped his arms around Sora's shoulders, hugging him from behind and setting his chin on the top of the brunette's head. "Oh, hi Axel."

"Hi Riku."

"And hello …" Riku looked at Roxas, trailing off, waiting for a name.

"Roxas." Sora chirped. "He's Axel's friend."

Riku nodded and glanced over the counter. "If it isn't out of place to ask, why isn't he properly dressed?"

Roxas blushed and averted his eyes, tugging on the hem of the jacket, embarrassed.

Axel scratched the back of his neck. "Well… Flower Boy wouldn't give us suitable…" he trailed off and looked at Sora—then Roxas, then back at Sora. He continued this for a few more seconds before his eyes landed on Sora and he pointed at the confused brunette. "YOU!"

Sora jumped. "M-me?"

"Yes! Your clothes, I need them!"

"But, Axel, my clothes wouldn't fit you…" chestnut brown eyebrows furrowed.

"No, but do you know who they _will _fit?"

Sora shook his head; a gesture that caused Axel to sigh.

"Roxas!" the redhead exclaimed. "They'll fit Roxas. You two have got to be the _exact_ same size. Please, can you loan him some of your clothes at least until I can buy him his own?"

Sora nodded excitedly. "Of course!" he ducked out of Riku's embrace and popped up at the silverette's side before tearing around the counter and through the swinging gate, grabbing Roxas' wrist, and rushing back behind the glass display and up a narrow flight of stairs, out of sight.

Riku stood, blinking and in shock, his arms still up as if there were still a person in them. After surfacing from his daze, the silverette looked down to find sandy blonde hair at his knees.

"Demyx!"

Demyx was squatted in front of the section dedicated to doughnuts, stuffing his face with them like a squirrel would with its acorns. His head snapped up and he looked at Riku briefly before grabbing as many of the doughnuts as possible and running into the dining area. The infuriated silverette raced after him shouting something about the blonde being the reason the bakery was losing money, but Demyx managed his way out of the building with about a dozen doughnuts cradled in his arms and a few shoved in his mouth. Riku cursed after him from the door because he couldn't leave his post in the shop. Once the blonde thief had disappeared, Riku growled under his breath.

"Not again!" he shouted exasperatedly, throwing his arms in the air and letting the door close.

~o~O~o~

At the top of the staircase was a wooden door that was closed, but not locked. Sora led Roxas into the area beyond the door. It was fairly small, skinny corridors connected the rooms and it followed the same color scheme as the bakery downstairs. They didn't spend much time in the mini-foyer until Sora pulled Roxas through one of the hallways past a kitchenette, restroom, and television room to a door that stood agar.

"Here we are—don't mind the mess." Sora pushed the door open and guided them both into what Roxas quickly concluded was a bedroom. The walls were painted a light brown and were adorned by several picture frames and other decorations. There was an unmade queen-sized bed against the wall, but as far as Roxas could see, that was the only "mess" in the room. A window overlooking the street took up most of the side wall with the tan curtains drawn, letting the soft light of the afternoon spill into the small room. It was all nice, but what really caught Roxas' attention was a painting that was mounted above the bed, it was almost as wide as the wall and that wasn't the most impressive part about it. The picture was made up of vibrant warm colors. Strokes of orange, yellow, pink, spring green, and ochre blended and overlapped to create a breathtaking depiction of a beach at sunset. It wasn't like the one he'd met Axel on, either. It was lusher with palm trees littering the shore and tropical plants springing up further down the beach. The painting was surrounded by a simple mahogany frame so not to pull the focus from the picture.

Sora pulled some clothes out of the right side of the closet by their hangers and turned to put them on the edge of the bed when he noticed Roxas staring at the large decoration.

"It's gorgeous, isn't it?" he sat on the bed, still holding the clothes. Roxas jumped at the sudden voice, but nodded. "It's where Riku and I grew up. We had told my mom that we'd be moving so she painted this for us as a wedding gift." He chuckled airily. "She said it was so we could always remember our home—as if we could forget." Sora shook his head. "Well, enough of that. We'd better get you dressed."

~o~O~o~

After several outfits, Sora deemed Roxas "well dressed" and for Roxas that apparently meant maroon long-sleeves under a black T-shirt, khaki pants, black sneakers with red straps, and a black and white checkered wristband, which Roxas rather liked.

"There, that should do until you can buy some more clothes. You can keep all that, by the way." Sora smiled. "Oh, and Roxas?"

Roxas lifted his head to look at the brunette.

"Thank you." Sora laughed when Roxas tilted his head. "It was starting to depress me—Axel killing himself over his imaginary savior. Has he told you about that yet?"

Roxas shook his head.

"Oh, well—you know what, we should probably sit." Sora led his confused guest to the bed and sat him down, joining him a moment later. "So, Axel's been really down lately, and by lately I mean the past few _months_, because he doesn't think he'll ever find his significant other. Demyx thought a good remedy for his depression was to get his mind off it and take him on a ship-party-thing, but that had never worked before. Dem had tried two times before that and it all went up in flames each time—literally. So Axel hit his low point and set the ship on fire. Everyone was able to evacuate safely, except Axel. We all know he probably just drifted to shore, but he _insists_ someone saved him that night. He kept going on about how 'breathtaking his eyes were' and claims that the necklace he had after he came-to belonged to whoever saved him, but his description of the person doesn't match that of anyone for _miles_. I was really starting to worry about him so I'm glad you took his mind off that." Sora punctuated his story by wrapping his arms around Roxas in a friendly hug. "We all really appreciate it."

Roxas brought his arms up hesitantly, returning the hug. Now he felt extremely ashamed for despising the brunette for the majority of their time together so far. _'So he's just this affectionate to_everyone_.'_

"Well, come on," Sora pulled away and stood. "I think we've taken long enough." He giggled and nodded his head in the direction of the door, urging Roxas to follow him. As he stood, Roxas took one last look at the painting above the headboard of the bed, Sora's words suddenly at the front of his mind.

_"She said it was so we could always remember our home—as if we could forget."_

Why did something about that sound so familiar? Roxas started walking to the doorway, following the brunette who'd passed through it only seconds prior. _'Augh, my head…'_ Roxas gripped his head, an unexpected pang of unbearable pain clouding his mind. Suddenly dizzy, he clutched the door frame.

"Roxas, are you okay?" Sora's concerned voice pushed through the blinding headache, but Roxas was unable to respond as his condition quickly worsened.

_"Roxas, keep this as a way to always remember us, okay?"_

_'… Aqua?... no… then… who?'_

_THUD_

"Roxas!"

~o~O~o~

"Aqua!"

The azurette turned at the call of her name.

"Kairi? What is it?" Aqua laid comforting hands on the redhead's shoulders, trying to calm her down. Kairi was trembling. "Kairi?"

Worried zaffre eyes shot up to meet Aqua's confused ones.

"I think Roxas is in trouble."

* * *

**A/N: :D cliff hanger… er… at least suspenseful, right? Don't expect such long chapters from now on… this was really hard to write!**

**I had decided to keep the basic color pallet of Roxas' clothes the same as in the game (cuz I'm a cool kid). :D**

**Some Notes: The name of the flower shop—I named it that because Aerith owned it and after she passed, all her friends wore a pink ribbon in her memory.**

**The name of the bakery—it's the name of one of the keyblades from the second game that you get in the 100 acre wood. I thought it fit really well… haha.**

**Next chapter coming sooner than you think ;D**

**Review for a Kingdom Cookie**

**Remember: Flames are for Axels not authors!**

**~Roxy~**


	7. Missing Piece

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: Maybe if all of us fans pool our life saving together, we could buy the KH franchise from Nomura!... wishful thinking, I know OTL**

**A/N: HAHA! Two chapters posted within 3 days of each other! BOW TO ME- er… ahem. Merry (belated) Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone!**

**warning: This chapter has not been proofread :D**

**A quick thank you to my guest reviewer who actually put a name to their review (so I can thank them properly): X-blade025! Thank you for the review and here's a cookie for giving me a name to thank you by *hands cookie*.**

**Now on to the story!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 7: Missing Piece

"I think Roxas is in trouble."

Aqua could almost swear her heart skipped a beat.

"Why? What happened?" the azurette stared sternly into Kairi's horrified eyes. The redhead shook her head hopelessly. "Kairi."

"I-I saw him with… _her_." Kairi stuttered.

"Who?"

"The _sea witch_." The terrified mermaid whispered. Aqua's zaffre eyes widened. "I was going to tell you earlier, honestly! I just—wasn't really _around_" Kairi admitted, wringing her hands.

"Kairi, I need you to tell me what you saw." Aqua's voice was surprisingly calm.

Kairi looked down at the sand beneath her, but nodded. "Well, I thought I'd check on Roxas after talking to you. I saw him leaving your house and decided to follow him—"

"Why didn't you stop him to talk to him?"

"Because he looked like he had something on his mind and I wanted to know where he was going that he was so determined about." Kairi took a deep breath and continued. "S-so I followed him. He went to that ship wreck not too far away, but when I got there, he wasn't alone. _She_ was there. I wanted to confront them, but I was too scared to, so I opted to follow them instead. I trailed them all the way to the sea witch's lair and I wanted to follow them in, but I didn't know how much help I could be so I came back to you, and because the witch's lair is, like, and _hour_ away, _that's _why it took so long!"

"Kairi, I'll take care of this, okay?"

"But, Aqua—"

"No buts." Aqua warned. "You don't understand the severity of this situation and it would take too long to explain." The azurette gripped Kairi's shoulders. "I can tell you this much, however," Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as she choked out the last of what she was going to say, "I can't lose Roxas." Aqua lowered her head, loosening her grip on the redhead mermaid's shoulders. "He's all I have left."

The fright in Kairi's eyes softened and she wrapped her arms around the shaken azurette. "Then you do what you think is best. I won't question your judgment because I know you wouldn't put Roxas in danger."

"Thank you, Kairi. I won't be back for a while, so go home and don't fret over it, let me take care of it." Aqua reassured, lifting her head and stroking the mer-teen's auburn hair in an attempt to comfort her.

"Alright, Aqua. Come back soon with Roxas."

The elder mermaid nodded with faux confidence and turned tail. Kairi's doubt grew with ever foot away the azurette swam.

"Don't let us down, Aqua."

~o~O~o~

"Larxene!" Aqua burst through the stone doors that led into the platinum blonde witch's chamber.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you to knock before just barging into someone's room?" Larxene scolded.

"Shut it!"

"Ooh, feisty!" the witch laughed, her shrill voice reverberating off the inner walls of the fishboné and echoing unpleasantly. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to humble Larxen—"

"Cut the shit."

"Woah, woah, when did _Aqua the saint _start cursing?"

"Since you took everything dear to me." Aqua hissed.

"Oh, are you still sore about your little friend?" Larxene moved over to a cabinet near the back of the round room and pulled from it an orange trinket in the shape of a star. "Because," she turned the wayfinder over in her hands. "his death wasn't in vain."

Aqua gritted her teeth. "This isn't about Terra and you know it!"

"Oh, it isn't? Well then," the witch removed another similar charm, only its stain glass points were chartreuse. "Perhaps it's about that child." She swung the pendant playfully. "It's funny—you know—that you can't protect _anyone_." Something bright caught the blonde's eye. She turned her head with a cocked brow and came face-to-face with the sharp tip of Rainfell. Another piercing laugh filled the small area. "Oh, come now; there's no need to resort to violence."

"No, there isn't."

"Really? Then why are you aiming your weapon at me?"

"So you don't try anything. Those wayfinders give you far too much power."

"Oh, re_lax_. I can't use them all at once… yet. I still need something stable to connect them." Larxene took one last wayfinder from the cabinet. Its cobalt color only rivaled by its original owner's eyes. "Besides, without _this_" she dangled the ultra-marine bauble on her pointer finger "you're virtually powerless. All you could do with that silly piece of junk is smack me." She mocked, referring to the metal weapon Aqua held to the witch's face.

"Don't taunt the power this weapon holds." Her grip on Rainfell tightened. "Now, tell me, where is he?"

"I'm sure I have no clue who you're talking about." Larxene lied, inspecting her nails nonchalantly.

"You know _exactly _who I'm talking about, don't pretend like you don't." Aqua spat, growing impatient with the bleach blonde that floated on the other side of the room.

"I'm sorry; you'll have to refresh my memory."

"Roxas! What have you done with Roxas?" Aqua's resolve wore thin.

"Oh, he's safe. He's just on the surface retrieving that last piece I need." The witch explained, grinning.

"He would never help you."

"Maybe not, but _I_ wasn't the one who told him to find it at all costs." Larxene chided.

Realization weighed heavily on Aqua. "The necklace." She murmured, lowering Rainfell.

"Bingo!" a forceful blast of water pressure sent Aqua right into the wall behind her. Her vision blurred as Larxene approached her, holding the sapphire wayfinder in one hand and letting the other two dangle from the other. Aqua could barely feel the ice slowly creeping up her tail, gradually encasing her as she lost consciousness. "Terribly sorry, Aqua, but I can't have you interfering." Larxene cackled viciously. The azurette fought to keep awake, but was quickly fading. The last thing she heard was Larxene's shrill, taunting voice. "Don't worry, Aqua, I'll take very good care of Roxas. I'll take him under my wing and keep him safe—something you seemed to fail at."

Then, everything went…

Black.

* * *

**A/N: There it is, the shortest chapter in this story so far! :D wow… everything just sort of… spiraled into seriousness... ._. it'll get happier in the next chapter I PROMISE!**

**As always, review for a Kingdom Cookie**

**And don't flame… flames are for Axels, not authors!**

**~Roxy~**


	8. Blood Ties

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 8 (Axel's chapter!)! :D this should have more humor because the last chapter was a little... serious hehe... sorry 'bout that.**

**So I got a new computer and he's beautiful, but he doesn't have Microsoft Office on him so I have to use WordPad... no spell check ._. So I welcome my new Beta, Slaycinder! She will be proofreading my chapters from now on, everyone give her a round of applause! *claps***

**Now, on with the story!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 8: Blood Ties

_"Roxas, keep this as a way to always remember us, okay?"_

That's all it was, over and over-no face, no other words—just that. Who was it? It was a woman and even though the words confused and unnerved Roxas, her voice was so soothing it didn't worry him.

But the voice slowly faded, quieting with distance, until Roxas was all alone in the darkness. Just as he started to doubt that he'd wake, he was surrounded by chatter and, unlike the voice he'd heard in his sleep, these voices were familiar. Roxas gently stirred, cracking his eyes open cautiously, but slamming them shut when light assaulted him.

"Roxas?"

The quiet chatter stopped, leaving the room completely silent in anticipation. The voice that had halted the concerned side-conversations was one Roxas had become very well acquainted with.

_'Axel?'_

He braved the bright light of the waking world again, blinking the pain away when a chorus of relieved sighs filled the small room. Roxas turned his head and was met with the harlequin eyes he'd grown so fond of.

"..." Ebony eyebrows knit together as Roxas tried to speak the redhead's name. _'Oh, right... Can't talk.'_ he thought.

Axel chuckled half-heartedly. "Way to nearly give me a heart attack, Rox."

"Yeah, you had us all worried sick. We even closed early." Sora chided gently from the other side of the room, drawing Roxas' attention from Axel.

"A few more minutes and we would have called a doctor." Riku said, snaking his arms around Sora and setting his chin in the crook of the brunette's neck. His bangs had been freed from the clips that held them earlier and he'd let his hair down, letting his silver tresses fall messily around his shoulders. "So, Roxas, are you feeling alright?"

Roxas nodded slowly then looked around the room. He'd been moved from the floor in the doorway to the queen bed.

"Good!" Sora chirped. "Then you should probably eat. Axel said you haven't had anything today."

Roxas gripped his stomach; the growling had stopped, but nausea had replaced it. He grimaced at the thought of eating.

"I'm sure you'll feel better once you've eaten." Axel helped Roxas sit up.

"If you're feeling well enough, Roxas, we should move into the living room-less cramped." Sora suggested. "Riku can make us something to eat."

"Sora, why don't we ever have _your _cooking?" Axel asked, teasing the brunette whose face took on a bit of color.

"Because I burn everything." Sora admitted, letting his cerulean eyes drift to the floor.

"But, you're the _wife_; you need to be able to cook!" Axel feigned shock while Sora rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Axel! I _am _a man, you know!" the brunette groaned, pouting.

"Pft, barely."

"Riku! Don't _agree_ with him!" Sora pried the silverette off of him and stormed out of the room. As the offended brunette's footsteps faded down the hall, Axel chortled.

"You didn't tell me Sora was pregnant, Riku."

"Not pregnant, just on his period." Riku corrected.

"I HEARD THAT!"

Everyone's head turned at Sora's voice from the room next to them.

"I love you!" Riku shouted through the wall earning a mini fit of laughter from the brunette on the other side.

"I swear, Riku, those mood-swings are a bad sign. Better get him tested just in case." Axel joked, standing and pushing the sheets off Roxas so he could scoop the teen up.

"I'll be sure to do that right away." the silverette shook his head, smirking. "We should probably join Sora before he decides to take it upon himself to cook us lunch." he chuckled, leaving the bedroom.

Axel set Roxas down on his feet.

"Sorry, Roxas. You must be pretty sick of me picking you up by now, huh?" The redhead rubbed the back of his neck. Roxas did everything in his power to keep from shaking his head and jumping back into Axel's arms and back into the comforting warmth he'd come to adore so much. "And Roxas?" At the sound of his name, Roxas lifted his head to look at the redhead. "The new outfit suits you. I like it."

Roxas felt blood rush to his face and he slapped his hands over his cheeks and eyes in a failed attempt to hide his embarrassment.

"Hehe, cute. So, are you gonna come eat or do I have to carry you there?" Axel ruffled Roxas' ebony spikes fondly. Roxas glanced up at the redhead from behind his hands, not moving in the hope that Axel wasn't joking and would _actually_ pick him back up. "Oh, I see how it is." Axel hoisted Roxas up and slung him over his shoulder causing the teen to flail in surprise. Well, Axel _did _pick him up, so Roxas couldn't complain; not that he could really complain anyway, what without his voice and all.

"So, what's on the menu?" Axel set Roxas down on the couch and sat next to him. He looked across the room and covered his mouth, muffling the laughter that was leaking out against his will.

"What's so funny?"

"Since when did Sora have you whipped?" Axel pulled his hand from his face and composed his laughter just long enough to ask the question. He gestured at the scene he was referring to. Sora sat in the armchair on the other side of the room, legs crossed and grinning with Riku's hands on his shoulders and the silverette standing behind the chair. "I mean really, Riku? Are you giving him a _massage_?"

"He owed me after what he said earlier." Sora hummed, leaning more into his husband's touch. "So, what _is_ for lunch, Ri?" he asked, completely ignoring the whip-cracking sound Axel made in the wake of the brunette's question.

Riku shrugged. "I dunno. It'll be a surprise." he leaned down and pecked Sora on the cheek before heading to the kitchenette. He stopped in the doorway to toss one last comment over his shoulder. "And Axel, if _I'm _whipped, then Roxas will have _you_ on a fucking _leash_." and with those final words, the smug silverette left the room.

It took a moment for Axel to process the words, but when he did, he went red in the face, his cheeks rivaling his hair in color. He shouted after the man who'd already left the room.

"What's that supposed to mean?" His question was ignored so Axel slumped against the back of the couch and crossed his arms, pouting like a child until something fell softly into his lap. When he looked down, he noticed Roxas' head peacefully resting there, his gray eyes closed and his breathing steady and quiet. He'd brought his feet up and curled into a tired ball that took up only a third of the sofa. "Man, this kid sure sleeps a lot." Axel murmured while stroking the sleeping teen's hair.

"His energy is probably just low because he hasn't eaten. I'm sure he'll be right as rain once we feed him." Sora smiled at Axel who just nodded. The room fell into silence, and without conversation, Axel took to letting his eyes wander around the small room. There was, of course, the armchair and sofa that took up quite a bit of the space, a bookshelf settled comfortably in the corner beside a small, intimate fireplace with a moderately sized television above it. All along the walls were staggered framed photographs, most of which Axel assumed to be fairly recent—perhaps only a few years old. There were even some sitting contentedly on the side table by the redhead's side of the couch. He took a moment to study a few of them, including the one that was propped on the table next to him. The photo he picked up was probably one of the oldest in the room. The quality was lacking compared to the other pictures and it was dated seventeen years prior. The photo was of four people; what appeared to be a mother, father, and two young identical twins. The children looked most like the mother, both with stunning zaffre eyes and honey blonde hair. Each parent held one of the twins and everyone seemed perfectly happy. Axel would have put the picture down, viewing it as simply a typical family photograph, had it not been for the necklace the mother was wearing.

"Sora?" Axel didn't lift his eyes from the picture.

"Hm?"

"Who is this?" the redhead handed the frame to Sora, taking care not to disturb the complacent boy slumbering in his lap.

Sora took the picture and examined it. "Oh, this is my uncle's family." He moved his eyes from the photo to the redhead across from him. "Why?"

"Look at the necklace the woman's wearing." Axel dug the four pointed star out of his collar. "It's the _same one_ I got from the one who saved me." His eyes brightened. "And that picture is dated _seventeen years ago_. Those kids have to be at least eighteen by now. And necklaces like this can be passed down, right? It all adds up; one of your cousins must have rescued me."

Sora sighed, "Yeah, except they all disappeared a few weeks after this picture was taken."

"Then how do you explain this?" Axel fiddled with the metal necklace to emphasize his question.

"Axel." Sora set the frame down and waited until the redhead met his stare. "If you keep chasing after someone who doesn't exist, then you'll be blind to what you already have." he shot a fond glance at Roxas.

"Wait, you mean _Roxas_? I just met him today."

"Give him a chance, okay? He's a good guy, _trust me_." Sora stood and put the picture back on the side table where it had sat originally and before he could sit back down, he was beckoned to the kitchenette.

"Sora!"

The brunette trotted out of the living room, leaving the other two alone. The silence returned and Axel took the time to mull over Sora's words. Maybe it _was _time he moved on, he hadn't gained any leads on the boy who saved him so it would probably end in disappointment anyway. Axel slowly bent down and hovered over Roxas' face. He wasn't sure what compelled him to do it, but he brushed his lips gently over the teen's cheek. His heart raced and he placed his lips more firmly, setting aside his hesitation for the time being.

"Food's ready!"

Axel shot up at the loud shout from the doorway. He whipped around and gawked at the brunette.

"Oh, was I _interrupting_ something?" Sora giggled, harassing the redhead. Roxas got himself back into a sitting position and ogled hungrily at the dishes Sora held.

"Sora, quit giving Ax a hard time and feed them before they starve." Sora was pushed through the doorway and followed by Riku who carried the other two plates of food. Sora offered the plates he had to Axel and Roxas. The mute teen took his eagerly but stared at the mound of noodles, confused. _'How do I eat land food?'_ He raised his head and looked around the room at the other three happily enjoying their meals. He tried to mimic them and picked up the metal utensil that was half buried in the spaghetti, shoving the food into his mouth and struggling to practically inhale the clump of noodles without making too big a mess. _'This is harder than it looks.'_ Once he cleaned the eating implement used to consume the much needed food, Roxas gazed at it, thoroughly intrigued. It was the same kind of tool he'd found before. _'They use this for _eating_? I never would have thought of that...'_ He took one more moment to contemplate the strange object before shrugging it off and continuing to sloppily shove the spaghetti into his empty stomach.

~o~O~o~

"Bye, thanks for the free food." Axel waved as he pushed the door to the staircase open.

"It was our pleasure. Swing by anytime." Riku laughed, draping his arm around Sora.

"Oh, and Axel?"

The redhead turned around prompting Sora to continue.

"Think about what I said, okay?" He advised earning an eye roll from Axel. "I'm serious. You'll thank me."

"Okay, Sora." Axel shut the door behind him after Roxas had safely made it past him. "C'mon Roxas, let me show you where you're going to be staying until we sort things out." The redhead exited Sweet Memories with Roxas close behind him. The streets had calmed and the mob had thinned, leaving the roads comfortably walkable and although there wasn't much of a chance he'd lose Axel in a crowd anymore, Roxas took the redhead's hand in his own and clung to him. "Huh? Roxas, you okay?" Axel looked down at the teen latched onto him who smiled softly and nodded his head against the redhead's upper arm. Roxas silently giggled.

Even if he ever got his voice back, he still wouldn't tell Axel that he had been awake when the redhead kissed him. And he _certainly_wouldn't admit to enjoying the feeling of Axel's slightly chapped lips on his cheek.

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Last chapter of 2012! I hope it wasn't too awful because I just felt so out of my element on WordPad. *wibble* But that's okay! I got a free trial of Microsoft Office for the time being so I should be back on the ball for 2013 *heart***

**Stay tuned for Chapter 9 (Demyx's chappy, YAY)**

**Review for a Kingdom Cookie and, remember, Flames are for Axels, not authors!**

**Until next time my pretties!**

**~Roxy~**


	9. Bath Time

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: Just because I own every single KH game released in the U.S., two keyblades, and nine Kingdom Hearts plushies does **_**not**_** mean I own the franchise… much to my chagrin… *sits in a corner and cries forever***

**A/N: The first chapter of 2013, yay!(Took long enough, right?) I broke 1,300 views on this story! Thank you to all my readers! *heart* This is the Demyx chapter! (and by that I mean it's chapter 9 hehe… there's actually no Demyx **_**in**_** the chapter itself… sorry) **

**Sorry for being a bit **_**inactive**_** with this story for the past... week *cough*, you all know how it is transitioning between fandoms and my friend ****iiYune**** got me kind of hooked on Rise of the Guardians…. Damn her… Whatever, moving on!**

**Oh, and to my guest reviewer, ****X-blade025****, you should so get an account so I can actually reply to your awesome reviews! Here's a cookie for your review *gives a cookie* :D **

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 9: Bath Time

It was coming up on about 3:00 by the time Roxas and Axel had made it to a slim two-story building situated snugly in between two of similar structure. Axel pulled Roxas to the stone steps that led to a vermilion front door with a gold number eight mounted on it above a matching gold knocker and flap labeled _Mail_. The rest of the exterior of the condominium was painted rich carmine and was only brightened by small square windows on both floors and a single circular one to light what could potentially be a storage space—like a miniature attic.

"Here we are." Axel chuckled, digging a silver key attached to a strange keychain that resembled a very…_ dangerous_ bicycle wheel out of his pocket. He shoved the key into the door's lock and twisted it before taking hold of the handle, turning it, and pushing his way into the cozy living space. "Home sweet home, right?"

The inside was honestly cleaner that Roxas had expected, but not by much. The door led directly into the lounge area—no quaint foyer apparently. (_"So then, I suppose not _all_ surface homes have that."_) There was a small square of stone at the entrance that had two pairs of shoes sitting haphazardly to the side, overlapping each other on a raw umber carpet that covered the entire floor that was visible. The walls were maroon, causing the already small space to be even more claustrophobic. For the most part, everything was very dark—rosewood furniture, squat black leather couch, blood red roses that were probably fake, even the lamps—furnishings that's sole purpose is to produce light—were dimmed by bistre shades. Roxas shrunk, feeling a bit unsettled by the intimidating color pallet.

His unease was short-lived, however. As soon as he stepped in, Roxas was overwhelmed by the warm, familiar scent he still wasn't able to identify. He eased his tense posture, letting his eyes close and allowing the intoxicating smell to lull his rigid nerves. It was so calming, so _Axel_.

"So, looks like you approve of my choice in candles." Axel laughed, ripping the daydreaming teenager from his stupor. "Then, you're a fan of cinnamon, huh?" the redhead removed his shoes and kicked them into the pile of footwear by the door, gesturing for Roxas to do the same. The mute nodded and mirrored what Axel had done, only setting his shoes side-by-side instead of on top of one another. He looked up at the redhead, nodding to his almost-rhetorical question all the while trying to smother the persistent thoughts of Axel and him in less than appropriate situations. _"What would it be like to kiss him? Would he taste like he smells? If so, then—"_ Wait. What was he _thinking_? He and Axel were practically strangers and he was entertaining the idea of locking lips with him? No, it was probably just raging teenage hormones…

At nineteen…

Dammit.

Roxas bit his lip. Okay, so that wasn't the most _solid_ excuse. Nope, not solid at all. Then it had to be that Axel was just a really, _really_ attractive guy, and any person in their right mind would want to kiss him. Yeah. Yeah, that was his story and he was sticking to it.

"Hey, Roxie, you comin', or are you just gonna stand there slack-jawed all day?"

Roxas jumped a bit at the older man's voice, snapping his head up to stare wide-eyed and confused at Axel who stood halfway up the stairs, leaning casually against the railing. _"Roxie?"_ Roxas raised an eyebrow at the new nickname. He knew he shouldn't like the effeminate pet name, but some part deep down in his heart throbbed, utterly twitterpated, much to his conscious dismay.

He stepped forward to the edge of the first step and gripped the rail, still a tad nervous about his ability to climb up stairs on his own because the other two times he'd had to do it, he was clinging to someone who knew how to. Roxas took the first step cautiously, fixing his determined gaze on his feet to ensure he wouldn't trip and hurt himself. The second step was less stressful, and by the third, he had gotten the hang of it and quickened his pace until he reached a point where there were no more stairs to brave.

The second story was similar to the first, just messier. Roxas supposed this was because Axel didn't have to worry about as many visitors on the second floor so he let his belongings lay wherever he'd favored when he'd dropped them. There were indiscriminate articles of clothing strewn and clumped about the floor, crumpled up candy wrappers and papers, abandoned half-full water bottles, and other various items that Roxas couldn't quite classify.

Axel ruffled Roxas' pitch spikes, grinning. "You should probably wash that sea water out of your hair, huh?"

Roxas blinked and brought his hand up to run fingers through his dry, stringy hair. He didn't think anything was wrong with it, but if Axel said there was, then he'd trust him. He nodded slowly, moving his gaze up to meet Axel's playful green eyes.

"The bathroom's just over there." The redhead pointed as he gave Roxas a gentle push toward the door that hung ajar. The teen nudged it fully open and stared into the tiled room, confused. He didn't even know what porcelain fixture he was meant to use, let alone _how_ to use it. He tossed a puzzled look over his shoulder at Axel who chuckled. "You mean you don't know how to use a bathtub? Man, you are one weird kid." _"No, you're just expecting a lot of me…"_ Roxas thought, letting Axel past him into the bathroom. The redhead sighed, gesturing for Roxas to come closer, "Well then, though it might be awkward, I'm gonna have to help you, aren't I?"

Roxas felt a hot blush crawl up his neck and paint his cheeks; he really wished it weren't true, but he really was completely hopeless on land.

"Alright." Axel bent over the tub, cranking the two knobs by the faucet all the way before reaching to the edge of the fixture for a bottle of dark pink liquid and flicking the cap open, flipping it over, and pouring some of it into the violent stream of water bursting from the gold faucet. "Strip."

Roxas gaped. _"I thought he _wanted_ me to wear clothes, and now he's telling me to take them back off?"_

"Fine, I guess you'll just have to be without clothes again until I get laundry moved. It'll be a while." Axel warned, getting the teen to hastily, but clumsily, pull the clothing off, even though he had no idea what Axel was talking about, but deciding to heed the redhead's words nonetheless. Axel chortled at Roxas' suffering, righting himself, gathering the teen up and carefully setting him in the frothy bathwater, all the while keeping his eyes averted.

As he was lowered into the water, Roxas gasped quietly; the water was hotter that what he was used to—much hotter, and he slammed his eyes shut, cringing visibly.

"Hey, you okay?"

Roxas cracked his eye open at the soothing sound of Axel's concerned voice and nodded.

"Just take a deep breath and relax." Axel instructed, producing a small bucket from where he'd taken the strange magenta goo, filling it under the faucet before shutting off both the knobs causing the water to stop. "Heh, you are one strange kid." The redhead mumbled to himself, ignoring the half confused, half offended glower Roxas was giving him. "Kay, hold still."

Roxas was about to quirk his ebony eyebrow in question when he was cut off by a bucket-full of water over his head. He sputtered the excess water from his mouth and rubbed more from his eyes. He didn't have much time to recover before Axel attacked his soaked tresses with a different kind of goo—this kind was deep amber—and began massaging it into his unsuspecting scalp. Roxas wrinkled his nose at the sensation, but refrained from making any move to stop the redhead—in his opinion, it actually felt borderline euphoric once he got used to it. He eased into Axel's touch, sighing in pure content as the older man ran his nimble fingers through his hair, lifting the dried saltwater and lingering seaweed with the shampoo.

When the relaxing hands removed themselves, Roxas knitted his eyebrows together at the loss. He blinked open his eyes as the water displaced; Axel was scooping up another bucket of water and Roxas had only a few seconds to prepare himself for what he knew was next.

"Get ready."

Roxas did just that; he slapped his hands over his eyes and pursed his mouth shut just as the water assaulted his sudsy hair.

"That should do." Axel set the bucket back by the foot of the tub and pulled two soft white towels from a nearby cabinet, setting them down a couple feet away from him as he sat back down by the porcelain bathtub and bunching his sleeves up so he could uncork the drain. Roxas watched as the water funneled out and down, lowering and lowering until all that was left was dying bubbles.

Axel was catching Roxas off-guard frequently; this time by throwing one of the towels over his sopping wet hair and vigorously rubbing it dry. His ebony tresses sprung back up once Axel removed the towel, slightly baffling the redhead.

"They just naturally do that?"

Roxas nodded, raising his eyebrows. _"Wasn't that obvious?"_

"Well, let's get you dried off and dressed—it's almost dinner-time." Axel said, helping Roxas out of the slick tub, catching the teen in a towel when he nearly tripped over the lip. "You're awfully clumsy, aren't you?"

~oOo~

After dinner and about an hour of comfortable silence in the downstairs living room, Roxas had ended up in Axel's maroon-walled bedroom, sitting on the crimson bedspread and kneading his tired eyes. It had been a very strenuous day and Roxas was more than ready to lie down and just _sleep_. In his sleepy state, it took him a moment to notice Axel standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame, outfitted differently. He had on a red short sleeved shirt and a pair of dark gray boxers.

"You must be beat after the day you've had. Hell, I'm pretty tired too and I'm usually a night-owl." The redhead chuckled as he stepped into the dimly lit room, taking a seat next to Roxas. "But before you fall unconscious against the pillows, you should change out of your street clothes."

Roxas looked up at Axel through bleary charcoal eyes behind a curtain of hazy exhaustion, much too tired to quirk an eyebrow to signify his confusion as to why he had to change _again_.

"Here," Axel stood back up, dragging himself to his closet and yanking the door open, tearing a black T-shirt from one of the hangers, and tossing it onto the bed. "Put that on."

Roxas was starting to get the hang of changing his clothes—finally able to understand he needed to remove his current shirt before putting on a new one. He sluggishly pulled the shirt over his head, surprisingly getting it on correctly, and then looked back to Axel to help him, not sure what he was supposed to do next.

Axel chuckled airily and took the garment Roxas had removed before chucking it at the half-full hamper. "I'm sure I'll remember to get that washed." The redhead then instructed Roxas to tug the khaki pants off, then, afterwards, flinging that into the hamper as well. Good, now he was dressed similarly to Axel, which Roxas assumed was what he'd been aiming for. "Cool. Okay, sleepy-time." Axel helped Roxas into the bed, immediately climbing in next to him. "Good night."

Roxas hadn't closed his eyes for more than a moment before arms had found their way around his shoulders and waist. The flustered teen felt another hot blush threatening to deepen his cheeks' color, but made no effort to move; instead, he settled into the warmth. He felt Axel set his chin atop his head and sigh.

"You know, when your hair is clean, it's really, _really_ soft."

Roxas cursed the flush he knew he was wearing now, clutching onto the fabric of Axel's shirt and burying his face in the redhead's chest.

Axel gently caressed Roxas' back, holding the teen closer.

"Hm… you smell like the ocean."

Those mumbled words were the last ones Roxas remembered before diving into the welcoming embrace of sleep.

...

"_Roxas, dear, don't get too close to the water."_

* * *

**A/N: blarg! I finally finished it! :,D Again, so sorry I've been gone. I feel kinda bad about it. Oh well! It's all in the past now! :D**

**Reviews are always appreciated and will be rewarded with a Kingdom Cookie!**

**Flames, however, will be dealt with accordingly—with Axel… Fight fire with fire, right?... *cough***

**Au revoir!**

**~Roxy~**


	10. Fond Memories

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: I may own a Kingdom Hearts throw-blanket, but I don't own the franchise.**

**A/N: yay! New chapter! This chapter may or may not be a flashback *cough* just keep that in mind because like hell I'm writing this whole thing in italics. You don't want that, I don't want that, so we won't do it. We have reached about the middle of the story, hehe, yay. **

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 10: Fond Memories

_"Roxas, dear, don't get too close to the water."_

It was that voice again. Who was that woman? It was just the voice still; no face, name, nothing…

Wait.

Though it was vague, there was _something_ there. It started cloudy and dark, barely visible were the indefinite shapes of a human form. The image slowly cleared, so slowly it felt as if it would never become anything but shapeless blobs of unsaturated color, but nonetheless, the object focused.

It was a person—female—and she was gorgeous. Feathered honey-blonde tresses fell gracefully about a thin, sun kissed face with kind features. Her eyes were round deep-sea blue and as warm and welcoming as the white sand she sat on. She glowed under the comfortably bright sun, the chiffon celeste shawl draped over her dainty shoulders fluttered slightly in the gentle breeze. She motioned for Roxas to come closer.

"Roxas, sweetie, come back over to mama."

Roxas found himself toddling toward the woman—toddling… on _legs_. He reached his small hands out when he got close enough to grab at her long flaxen hair. A light giggle bubbled from her throat and she took Roxas in her arms, cradling him lovingly.

"Oh!" The woman turned her attention to something across the beach. "Ventus don't chew on that, honey." She stood with Roxas still in her arms, rushing to a small child who sat contentedly under the huge leaf of a tropical bush that sat low to the ground. Ventus—who, Roxas noted, looked exactly like him—had his short legs splayed out and he was currently gnawing determinedly on the side of a small coconut. When the toddler looked up with innocent baby blue eyes, they instantly brightened and he quickly discarded the makeshift chew toy to free his hands so he could raise them up over his head.

"Mama! Up, up!" Ventus groped at the air until his request was met. When the woman holding Roxas bent down to pick the other small child up, something silver slipped out from under her collar. Roxas extended his arm and took it; it was his necklace, but it was soon pulled from his tiny hand.

"No, no, Roxas. This is very sharp, you don't want to play with mommy's necklace." She tsked, wagging her finger at the young blonde. His mother slipped the pendant down the front of her dress again before scooping up the expectant toddler on the sand. Once she righted herself, a male voice called from behind the trio of blondes.

"I'm back!"

Their mother whipped around and chuckled quietly, fondness softening her initial expression of surprise.

"Ven, Roxie, look, it's daddy." She gasped, drawing both the children's attention to the man who'd joined them on the shore. "And he's brought lunch." She smiled, throwing a glance at the wicker basket at their father's side.

"Yup, but we're not eating it with the hot sun beating down on us. Let's go enjoy our lunch in the shade." He beckoned for them to follow him as he walked, basket in hand, up the beach to a shady nook nestled into the squat mountains that hugged the shore. They all sat on the ground by a crystal blue freshwater pond that was fed by a stout waterfall; the soothing sound of rushing water surrounded the family as they unpacked their food, dividing it among the four of them. Roxas and Ventus sat beside one another, each holding a brightly colored juice-box and sipping happily as their parents cut their sandwiches into bite-sized pieces. Everything seemed perfect.

But this is an imperfect world.

The loud crash of a wave thundered across the beach, startling the small family. The first to move was Ventus—he jumped to his feet. Determined to investigate the noise, he darted away from his lunch and down to the shoreline.

"Ventus!" Their father shouted as he proceeded to chase after the tiny blonde, disappearing around a corner. Roxas leapt to his mother's arms, burying his face into her stomach; she met his distress by calmly stroking his head, whispering pacifying words to quiet him. A few minutes and some unnerving shrill screams later, his father came flying back around that same corner, cradling Ventus—who had become a trembling bundle of hysteria—in his arms.

The anxious look on his father's face did nothing to comfort Roxas.

"Giselle, we're in trouble."

"Why, what happened?" their mother asked in a hushed tone.

"It was _her_. She found us and she's still a little sore about us ducking out on the deal."

"How did she find us? It's been three years."

"I don't know, but we should just give her the necklace, okay?"

"No. You remember what Aqua said, don't you? There's always a catch, even if you pay. I may not know what that 'catch' is, but I'm not taking a risk to find out." The finality in their mother's voice made her husband skip a beat.

"So you'd rather risk our children's lives?"

"Of course not, but that doesn't have anything to do with our payment. If anything, staying put is the best option for them."

"Giselle." Their father locked eyes with the blonde woman. "She almost took Ventus."

"What—"

"When I got there, she was _holding our son_. If I hadn't promised we'd pay her soon, she'd have taken him without a second thought."

"How much time do we have?"

"Not much."

~oOo~

Then, as if his dream was unplugged, everything went black and Roxas was left in a dark, silent void. He stayed there for the rest of the night.

* * *

**A/N: woohoo! Yes… I gave his parents names! :D well… his mom anyway. His dad has a name too, but there was no need to use it. Anyhow, did I give away too much? :C I might have… pftsh OH WELL! More to come, more to come. **

**Reviews are my fuel and are always loved—oh, and you get a free cookie if you do it C:**

**However, flames will be dealt with accordingly—with hours and hours of "Swim this Way" played on a loop. Don't push me, I **_**will**_** do it! I'M CRAZY! **

**Until next time, valued readers!**

**~Roxy~**


	11. Deja Vu

**[DISCLAIMERS]: I still own nothing but my dignity—oh wait… never mind. ._.**

**A/N: I will be responding to the **_**Guest**_** reviews at the end of this chapter! I actually don't think there's anything else I need to say before we begin! :D So let's get to it!**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 11: Deja Vu

Roxas woke up the next morning on his own—no rude surprises that made him nearly jump out of his skin. The artificial glow of the hallway light seeped into the room from a wide crack between the door and the frame. He yawned, sitting up in Axel's bed and letting the sheets fall off his upper body; Roxas held his head, wincing from the gentle ache that plagued it—probably from the dream he'd had to bear the previous night. He couldn't even call the dream a nightmare, it was just strange. It all felt so familiar to him and held such a comforting aura with it; the pure contentedness that came from just _knowing_. Roxas wasn't sure if the dream was a stirred up memory or an obscure metaphor, but he really didn't care and didn't want to further his throbbing headache by regarding the question.

Roxas looked around; the bed was empty save him. In its half-asleep state, his brain started to jump to irrational conclusions—frazzled inquiries pooling at the forefront of his mind; "_where is he? Is he coming back? Is he gone forever? Why would he—"_

A light tap on the half-open door snapped Roxas out of his panicked musings.

"Oh, good, you're up." Axel pushed the door all the way open, bathing the entire bedroom in light from the hallway. He had something draped over his arm, but Roxas couldn't quite tell what in the low light. "Here, get dressed." Axel tossed whatever was on his arm onto the bed by Roxas. "We only have about a fifteen minutes before it's time to go."

Roxas quirked a brow. "_Time to go where?"_

"Oh, right, you still have no clue what I'm talking about." Axel flicked the light switch to his side, instantly brightening the room and causing the teen on the bed to cringe and clap his hands over his poor, undeserving eyes. "We're going to the beach this afternoon—Sora and Riku will be here to pick us up in," Axel glanced at his watch, "twelve minutes." He rushed out the door, calling over his shoulder for Roxas to get dressed and come down when he was.

Roxas watched after the redhead, struggling to comprehend the instructions he'd been given; it took a minute for the words to register in the teen's sleep-clouded brain. After a moment of confused silence, Roxas stood and dressed himself in the outfit he'd worn the day before—now clean—and lumbered tiredly down the stairs to where Axel waited.

"Awesome, just in time! They should be here in… five minutes ago!?" While Axel glowered gravely at the clock, there came five obnoxiously loud knocks at the door. He dragged himself off the couch lethargically, moving to the door and yanking it open. "You guys are late." He deadpanned at the couple standing on his doorstep.

"Only by, like, five minutes." Sora crossed his arms, looking up at Axel with an amused grin. He looked past the redhead and into the living room; his smile widened. "Hey, Roxas! Has Axel still not bought you more clothes? What a cheapskate."

"Hey! I washed them!"

"Woah, no need to get defensive, Ax. I was just kidding." Pulling out his wallet, Sora dumped the contents into his palm and silently counted out the slick gold coins. When he was finished he lifted his head to look at the silverette next to him. "Hey, Ri, do you have cash with you?"

Riku nodded. "Yeah, about 200 munny."

"Cool." The brunette turned his attention to Axel. "That means collectively we have 210 munny."

"Wait, so you only have ten munny, Sora?" Axel raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Riku doesn't trust me with munny after the exotic saltwater fish tank incident. I still don't understand what the problem was... Fred and Margaret were _good_ fish; they didn't wreck the house _once_—not like that puppy-cat that followed me home that one time."

"I thought we agreed we'd never talk about that _again_." Riku grimaced down at Sora.

"Oh, come _on_, Ri-Ri, I'm sure Willy didn't _mean_ to shred your tux from the wedding… or eat the photo album with all the pictures from our honeymoon." The initial smile on the brunette's face became forced and diluted as he actually listened to what he was saying. Riku's aquamarine glare only hardened. "But we still have copies of them on our computer." He reassured, not making the situation any better. "Although that computer _did_ crash last week when I spilled coffee on it…" that afterthought made all four of them wince slightly—okay, maybe he shouldn't have brought that back up.

"You are _so _lucky that A, I love you enough to _almost _let that go, and B, I saved those pictures to a disk." Riku pinched the bridge of his nose and knit his silver brows together.

"Hey guys, as interesting as it _isn't_ to hear you bicker about failed attempts at keeping pets, can we get back on topic please?" Axel cut in, trying to reel his friends back to the subject of that afternoon.

Roxas had joined Axel in the doorway, wrapping his arms around one of the redhead's.

"Oh yeah." Sora glanced down bashfully, scratching the back of his neck as an embarrassed blush dusted his cheeks. "Sorry about that. So, back to the current munny situation. Axel, get out your wallet."

"Why?" Axel asked, digging his wallet out of his pocket.

"Riku, give me 180 munny." Sora groped at the air to his side—a gesture prompting the silverette to set the money in his hand. Riku dumped his share into shorter man's palm, deciding not to question the request. "Plus my ten is 190 munny. That should cover it."

Axel quirked a crimson brow. "Cover what?"

"The shopping expense." This comment earned Sora three confused stares. "What? There's this nifty thrift store not too far from the beach and with 190 munny, Axel could buy Roxas some clothes to flesh out his wardrobe without burning a hole in his pocket."

"Woah, wait. What beach are we talking about here?" Axel tried to cross his arms but quickly realized there was a mute teenager attached to one of them, so he settled for resting his free hand on his hip.

"The one in Destiny Islands." Sora stated plainly, extending the munny to the redhead who proceeded to drop it in his wallet.

"What's wrong with the beach here?"

The brunette's lips curled down into a disgusted sneer. "It's all jagged rocks and splintered glass, _that's_ what's wrong with it."

"But, don't we need train fare to get there? If my math's correct you only have 30 munny left."

"20."

"Thank you, Riku." Axel glared at the silverette, speaking sarcastically. "And isn't it 20 munny for just _one _ticket?"

"Taken care of." Sora swiftly slid four train tickets out of his pocket, fanning the colorful slips of paper and triumphantly displaying them.

"You bought our tickets, too?"

"Duh, of _course_ we did! We _did_ invite you; it would be rude to make you buy your own tickets." Sora shook his head, putting their tickets back in his pocket. "Come on, our train leaves at 12:30 and it's already quarter till noon."

~oOo~

The sweet smell of lingering summer tumbled in the air and over the sand; it strongly reminded Roxas of the dream he'd had the night before. The sun was still high at one pm, something different from Twilight Town, but infinitely refreshing; the warm light cradling Roxas in calming nostalgia and assaulting his mind with long since buried memories—most of which were welcoming, happy ones with the occasional scraped knee or sunburn worming their way in. The teen had no idea where the images came from, but they were fond enough that he didn't mind their invasion, true or not.

"Hey, Ax, have you guys eaten?" Sora broke the silence as they walked down the beach.

"Uh, no, why?"

"Do you want lunch now? We brought food." Riku held up a wicker basket, offering with a raised argent brow.

_"Where was he keeping that?"_

"Sure. Where are we gonna set up?" Apparently Axel either didn't realize Riku just pulled a picnic basket out of his ass or he just didn't care.

"Probably right over there. I know it's not that hot out, but sitting in the shade is nice when you're eating."

Roxas' eyes followed Sora's lifted finger to an alcove partially carved by a slim waterfall that poured into a dug out reservoir, thin palm trees leaning over the nook, providing comfortable shade; his stomach knotted in on itself, forming unsettled nausea in its pit. He knew that place—he knew this beach. He'd been trying to ignore the blatant familiarity until that point, but his ignorance could only go so far. The unnerving ringing of his brother's scream echoed mercilessly in his ears. He shook his head, numbing the sound for the time being.

He followed everyone to their sitting place on the edge of the basin, taking the sandwich Sora offered him. The waterfall drowned Roxas' thoughts so he could easily ignore them while he ate, or so he thought. He listened while his friends talked and laughed, sometimes asking his 'yes' or 'no' opinion on a subject, being sensitive to his inability to speak. Their voices further pushed his worries even lower and further beyond reach; by this point, Roxas was subconsciously mulling over the thoughts, letting them fester and build up while he believed that they'd gone. However, as soon as the chatter quieted, those nagging memories came flooding back and their sudden presence overwhelmed Roxas, causing a dizzying headache and clouding his vision with pain. He shot both hands up to grip either side of his head in an attempt to pacify the worsening sting.

"Roxas? Roxas, are you okay?" Axel whipped around, resting the back of his hand against Roxas' forehead. "Well, you don't have a fever." The redhead tried to keep the panic out of his voice as he racked his brain for other possibilities.

Unfortunately, as the other three tried to figure out why his health seemed to be quickly declining, Roxas' headache grew beyond unbearable—there was too much input; voices, sounds, images—all bombarding his mind at once and as he worked to still the throbbing in his head, a fresh pain crept down his legs. It was searing agony—not the same pain as when his tail had split, but still an eerily recognizable pain; it acted as ghost pain, a burning that wasn't physically plaguing him, but still scalded as if it was. He wanted to scream, he wanted all of the internal torture to stop and he assumed one good blood curdling screech could smother it, but no matter how hard he tried nothing happened. He didn't think losing his capability to speak would cripple him so badly.

Even when sure arms lifted Roxas away from the ground, his muscles didn't give and the throbbing didn't cease, but as they put more and more distance between them and that patch of beach, the roaring headache dimmed to an unimposing buzz against his temples and the agonizing burn in his legs cooled until it was just a gentle simmer beneath his skin.

By the time Axel set him back on his feet, Roxas had gained back most of his coherency. The redhead beside him ruffled his spikes.

"Everything alright, Rox?"

The teen gave a quick nod.

"You really like scaring us, don't you?" Axel joked, though still a bit shaken from the experience. Roxas' cheeks flushed crimson red; he didn't mean to scare all of them. He bit his lip and wrung his hands. Axel caught on to the mute's ashamed disposition and quickly jumped to correct himself. "Oh, sorry Roxas! I didn't mean that in a bad way like it was your fault."

Roxas looked up at the apologetic redhead through his ebony fringe, a very subtle smile creeping onto his face. Something hitched in Axel's throat, hindering his ability to speak. He cleared his throat quietly, trying to untie the knot that had wound around his larynx.

"Hey, I hate to break up this genuinely sweet lovey-dovey staring contest, but that store isn't open forever." Only when Sora punched the silence in the throat and wretched the redhead's attention from Roxas did Axel realize that those hypnotizing gunmetal gray eyes had lured his and kept them to linger there for longer than he thought would have been necessary.

"Uh, right, right," Axel dismissively waved the awkward away, "we should get going, then."

* * *

**A/N: Yay! Chapter 11! Sorry it took a while. If you haven't picked up on it from my other author notes, I now have two multi-chaps and two Valentine's Day oneshots going right now *dies***

**A couple quick notes, my Dollar to Munny conversion is: dollar amount x 2= Munny amount, just to clear things up. And the Puppy-dog is referring to a Meow-Wow. I got the name from my game… my Meow-Wow's name is Willy… :D**

**Anyway, guest reviews! **

_**X-blade025:**__** So now I have a pretty clear idea of what happened. Awesome, this**__**  
**__**chapter was excellent with excellent imagery. A few of my questions have been**__**  
**__**answered but now there's 10 more. Are the parents from somewhere or are they**__**  
**__**OC (sorry had to ask)? I am a little sad it's halfway done though, that means**__**  
**__**only 10 more chapters until it's over. But I still love the story and can't**__**  
**__**wait for your next chapters.**_

*****_**only**_** ten xD no, just kidding. By the way, that was my goal—"excellent, yes, answer some of their questions but raise a ton more MUAHAHA". As for his parents, yes and no. Giselle is an OC, but his dad… well… I don't think I should drop that bomb quite yet. (at least on intentionally). Thank you for your review, here's a cookie *cookie* **

_**danny: **__**Please continue! I am eager to see more!**_

***I plan to~ unlike my old stories, this one isn't getting orphaned! I'm following it to the end, dammit! Anyway, here's your cookie for reviewing~ *cookie***

**Keep those reviews a'comin'! They're like the yummy chocolate milk that drives me to the next chapter~ If you review, as has been demonstrated, I will give you a Kingdom Cookie… Flame, and I will have Axel set you on fire so you can see how it feels… and then I'll force you to listen to Swim This Way on a loop FOREVER! Just don't flame, guys!**

**~Roxy~**


	12. Clothing Adventure

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: I seriously can't think of something clever this time… I don't own KH or FF, okay? Grrr…**

**A/N: Hey, it's been a while! I was worried about Valentine's Day stuff so I was gone for a few extra days. It's bad enough I'm writing two chapter stories! I was gone last weekend so I couldn't write very much and then school cock-blocked my story so *cough* moving on.**

**~Roxy~**

* * *

Chapter 12: Clothing Adventure

Crown Unlimited was a cramped store with mismatched articles of clothing spilling from the shelves—all of which were stuffed from bottom to top. There was almost no particular organization to the placement of clothes, what with red shirts getting cozy with blue skirts and checkered suspenders all invading the personal bubble of brown leather belts…never mind, there _was_ no organization whatsoever.

"Wow…" Axel cleared his throat, obviously overwhelmed after walking into the tightly packed shop. "So, how are we gonna do this?"

"Well…" Sora took a few bouncy steps into the mess of clothes that barely parted enough to create aisles. "Axel, you send Roxas to one of the dressing rooms in the back, Riku and I will start our clothes hunting adventure!" The energetic brunette shot his fist in the air enthusiastically, hooking his arm around Riku's and venturing off into the jungle of clothing.

Surprisingly, Roxas fearlessly braved the colorful labyrinth, leaving Axel behind in the entrance and making his way to the dressing rooms. The dumbfounded redhead snapped out of his daze and fumbled to catch up with the dark haired teen.

"Hey Roxie, wait up!"

~oOo~

"Throw this one over."

A bundle of clothes came flying at Axel's head, catching the redhead off guard as it smacked him in the face.

"Hey!"

Sora ignored him and just dove back into the sea of fabric that made up the store's inventory and out of sight. Axel gave Riku a pleading look which was met with a shrug and sympathetic smile. The redhead sighed and threw the clump of clothes over the door of the dressing room just as another mound was pushed out from under the door.

"You think that will work?"

_Tap_

Roxas tapped once on his side of the door. Not long after he'd tried the first outfit, he and Axel had created a generic 'one tap for _yes_, two for _no_' policy that proved to be very effective.

"So, can I see it?"

_Tap tap_

"Why not?"

"…"

"Oh, right… sorry."

_Tap taptaptap tap tap tap…. Tap tap taptap_ _ta—p tap_

"Wha—"

Sora's head popped up from behind a mountain of clothes and accessories.

"Oh, Roxas, he wouldn't laugh—I bet blue looks good on you. Why don't you show him?" and then the mess of chestnut spikes vanished again. Before Axel could take a breath to question the strange conversation that just ended, the sound of a knob turning stopped him. The door was slowly pulled open and the blushing face of a thoroughly embarrassed Roxas poked out as soon as the crack was wide enough. He bit his lower lip, hesitantly widening the gap and shuffling out of the small room. He shot Axel a tentative glance; this had been the first time he'd left the dressing room the entire hour they'd been there.

"Wow… blue _is_ a pretty nice color on you, Roxie." Axel grinned, ruffling the teen's messy barbs of ebony hair fondly. Roxas' blush only deepened and he tugged bashfully at the hem of the hoodie he was wearing. It was mainly an alice blue hoodie, but a thick navy blue—almost black—stripe wrapped around the middle; it was simple, but it suited him. He'd also switched out the khaki pants for a pair of light denim jeans. "Hey Roxie, is there any chance you'd wear a skirt?" Axel asked hopefully after dropping his hand back to his side.

Roxas scowled and knocked on the redhead's forehead twice.

"Ow… so, is that a double yes?" For that question, Axel received a solid punch to the gut. He wheezed and doubled over. "I'll… take that as… a… may…be."

Knowing that that was the best he was going to get, Roxas nudged Axel over with his foot while giving a soundless snort.

"How much clothing does that bring us to?" Sora once again emerged from the sea of mismatched clothes and worked to climb over a few mounds until he stumbled into the clearing by Roxas' dressing room. "Oh, hey Roxas. That's a nice outfit." The brunette's lack of attention span knew no bounds. Roxas nodded, ducking back into the cramped dressing room to retrieve the neatly folded pile of clothes he had deemed worthy. "Awesome! That's more than I thought you'd accepted so far. That should be enough for a while." Sora hopped excitedly, filing through the stack. He pouted. "I just wish we could have seen you model more of these."

"You findin' everything okay?" a cheery voice called from a couple aisles down. Everyone turned their attention to the female employee the voice belonged to.

"Yuffie!" Sora waved enthusiastically at her, not wanting to wade through the clothes again just to hug her.

"I can ring you up if you're ready." Yuffie offered, struggling her way over to the register.

"So, whaddaya say? Are we ready?" Axel had nursed his abdomen and stood back up, still bent over a bit. A very faint smile tugged at Roxas' lips that he hid from the redhead; he held his bundle of clothes to his chest and was the first to start walking to the counter at the front of the store followed closely by Axel, Riku, and Sora. While Axel whipped out his wallet, Sora struck up a conversation with the cashier who, judging by the conversation—or what Roxas caught before he stopped caring—the brunette knew fairly well. Roxas seemed to lose interest very quickly in anything that wasn't the fiery redhead standing next to him lately and it was become a bit cumbersome, to say the least. All he could focus on were those piercing harlequin eyes that he hadn't been able to get out of his mind since he first saw them that night. It felt so long ago even though he'd only saved Axel three days prior; in fact, Roxas had almost forgotten why he was even on land in the first place—that is, until a familiar gleam caught his eye. His necklace dangled from the redhead's neck, swinging gently back and forth when he leaned on the counter, but the more time he spent with Axel, the less Roxas cared about taking the trinket back. That could be problematic later on…

"—xas?"

Roxas hear the faint call of his name, but ignored it, deep in thought and staring off into space. What could the consequences even _be _if he just stayed on land?

"Roxas?" Axel's voice finally drew Roxas out of his daze and the teen shook his head to shed the last bit of stupor out of his mind.

"…?"

"Time to go." Axel smiled and set his hand on top of Roxas' head earning an irritated snort from the mute. "Don't give me that." The redhead said jokingly and it didn't help his situation, it only got him an eye-roll to accompany the previous snort.

~oOo~

The four walked out of Crown Unlimited, Axel carrying both bags bursting with clothes (Roxas discovered that if he glowered long enough, the redhead would carry his stuff). The sun was beginning to dip behind the horizon and the moon had started to replace the star in a faded full circle. They'd missed the time of day that the sky was painted vibrant oranges and pinks and had blown right into the point when it was a breathtaking gradient from ultramarine to Byzantium resting on the horizon line.

Staring at the calm landscape, Axel hadn't expected a hand on his arm; he jumped at the contact and looked down at who the hand belonged to.

"Sora what—"

The brunette put a finger to his lips, signaling the redhead to shut his mouth. He pulled Axel aside and kept his voice low.

"Hey, Axel. You know the perfect way to end a day like this?"

Axel shook his head.

"There's this lagoon Riku used to take me to all the time…" Sora trailed off, hoping Axel would catch his drift.

He didn't.

He just stared blankly at the brunette.

"So?"

Sora sighed. Sometimes Axel was really dumb. Like, really dumb. Like, that ridiculous hair of his had finally grown into his brain and done some serious damage.

"_So_, take Roxas! It'll be so roman—" Sora cut short when he caught sight of the deadpan look he was getting from the redhead. "_Please_?"

Axel braced himself, _"Don't give me puppy eyes, don't give me puppy eyes, don't give me—"_

Sora clasped his hands together and shot Axel the most pitiful, watery, zaffre pout from behind those long dark lashes.

"_Dammit!"_

"Alright, fine! Anything for you to stop giving me that look." Axel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why do you care so much, anyway?"

Sora dropped the pout and swung his hands at his sides before linking them behind his back. "Well…" he paused, trying to word it right. "You're both my friends and I want you to be happy." Just as Sora finished his sentence, Roxas came up behind Axel, tugging on his sleeve. "I'll leave you two alone—Axel, it's about fifteen minutes north of here." The brunette winked and ran off to catch up to Riku, leaving Axel and Roxas standing, confused. Roxas looked up at Axel quizzically.

"Hey, Roxie, there's uh… there's one more place we're gonna go before home, okay?"

Roxas nodded, his eyes wandering from Axel's entrancing green eyes to his necklace where they lingered for a beat before they abandoned the bauble and traveled back to lock with the redhead's.

What would the consequences be?

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**A/N: AND THE PLOT THICKENS! (not really) Sorry again for taking so long. Word was out of commission for a while but I'm back in business :D Guest review time!**

_**X-blade025: Thanks for the cookie. I love the conversation between Riku and Sora, hilarious in every word. Roxas is so close to remembering and my anxious levels are rising for that chapter. I can't wait to find out who Roxas's dad is. Please update soon.**_

***No problem~ You get another :D *cookie* Thank you~ yes, Roxas is definitely **_**very**_** close to remembering. Sorry it took so long to update! D:**

_**Guest: the name is Shay. Please continue! The ending of chapter 11 is a cliff hanger, and I am starting to really enjoy the story line**_

***Hey, Shay! Like I've said, sorry it took so long to update D: here's a cookie *cookie* **

**Well that's it! **


	13. Decisions

**[DISCLAIMERS]: If Timmy has seven apples and Sally got on the 5:30 train to Idontgiveafuckville how many rights do I own? None. e _ e None whatsoever…**

**A/N: Sorry, I've gotten behind on replying to reviews! D: I'll get back on top of it as soon as this chapter's up...**

** Happy Roxas chapter, everyone! :D It's finally time for the chapter I've been wanting to write for EVER! Enjoy~**

**~Roxy~**

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Chapter 13: Decisions

Roxas really wished he knew where Axel was taking him. He'd been trying to get the redhead's attention for the past ten minutes—tugging on his sleeve, tapping his shoulder, slapping his arm, etcetera—but nothing had worked thus far. The mute teen finally gave up, unsure of where they were going and honestly uncaring by this point. All he knew was they had gradually made it out of the part of the island typically inhabited by people as they had long since abandoned the squat houses and they'd been replaced by tropical trees and plants edging the narrowing path they had been following for the past five minutes. The sun had completely set as they treaded the dirt road that was blanketed in darkness that was only perforated by the moonlight that filtered through the canopy and created spattered patterns on the ground.

"Hey Roxas, if you hear running water, let me know." Axel cut the comfortable silence, looking down at Roxas who nodded. Just a couple minutes later, that familiar sound hit the teen's ear and he hop-scotched his way to the lead, jumping ahead of Axel and taking a turn into the thick of the vegetation. "Woah, Roxas wait up!"

Roxas slowed down just enough for the redhead to keep up with him, but still rushed through the jungle until he stepped into an unexpected clearing. His foot slipped, sending him forward and toward the deep lagoon; he braced himself for hitting the water, but the impact never came, instead something pulled on the back of his hoodie and pulled him back.

"That was close, huh?" Axel smiled down at Roxas who was still shaken from the near-catastrophe from a moment earlier. "Maybe it would be safer and less _wet_ if we took the rowboat." The redhead nodded his head in the direction of a small wooden boat tied to the protruding root of a tree near the edge of the water. Roxas smiled sheepishly.

Axel was the first to get in the boat and because one person struggling his way into a boat already on the water wasn't hard enough, the redhead then had to stand and help Roxas in as well. After a few hesitant moments that usually ended in Axel tottering dangerously to the side and almost out of the boat, they had both successfully climbed into the small vessel. The elder of the two rowed them out into the middle of the lagoon and now that Roxas had calmed down, he was able to really _look_ at the landscape. It was breathtaking. There was an opening in the canopy of the trees that let in the hoary light of the moon and it bathed the still water in a serene glow. The tropical plants bordering the lagoon bowed in the lapping wind that brushed against Roxas' cheek pleasantly. The quiet babble of water over low rocks was the only sound filling the space.

And he wasn't sure what drew his eyes there, but Roxas had ended up staring at the redhead across from him, admiring him more than the scenery around them.

"Hey Roxas?"

Roxas snapped out of his daze and locked eyes with Axel who had a certain degree of intensity and seriousness set in those magnificent bottle green eyes of his.

"Since we met, I haven't been able to shake this feeling that I've met you before. I was sure it would come to me, but," he brought his hand up to grasp Roxas' chin and tilt his head up and bring his face closer, "It won't." Axel sighed.

_'I wish I could tell you…'_ Roxas' face fell, his doleful steel gray eyes drifting from the hold of desperate harlequin ones.

"Roxas." Axel's hand moved up the teen's jaw until it rested on his cheek; he gently drew Roxas' attention back to him. A soundless moment passed between the two during which they both cautiously leaned forward until the heat of their breath mingled and their noses bumped together softly.

"…" even though it was silent, the feeling of the redhead's name on his tongue was the most veracious sensation to Roxas. With a beat of hesitation, they both moved to close the slight gap that still separated them. The kiss began chaste and tentative but as they got a feel for it, it took a sudden turn of confidence. Their rhythm was quickly found and without thinking, Roxas snaked his arms around Axel's neck and his fingers brushed the cold metal chain of his necklace. It was right there, he could run his thumb and forefinger over the clasp. He could just take it and run. Roxas gripped the clasp in one hand and the chain in the other; all it would take was a flick of his finger, but he couldn't do it. Whatever the consequence was, the fear wasn't enough to overpower the warmth swelling in his chest. He may not have ever felt it before, but he recognized that feeling—it was a joy he'd never dreamed of feeling before and he wasn't about to throw that all away. He dropped the chain back against Axel's neck and simply savored the sheer unreal perfection of the moment.

Screw it, let him _keep _the necklace.

~oOo~

"I still don't see what the problem was!" Sora walked beside Riku with his hands clasped behind his head.

"I draw the line when you start singing, Sora. I was already against _monitoring_ those two." The silverette sighed.

Sora snorted. "I just wanted to make sure everything went smoothly. And I was _setting the mood_. It worked in the movie."

"Sora… How many times do I have to tell you to separate fiction from reality?" Riku ruffled the shorter man's chestnut spikes. Sora chuckled, though it was a short-lived chuckle. Riku glanced at the brunette from the corner of his eye at the sudden cease in his laughter.

"Uh, Riku?"

"Hm?"

"Are there even any trains that _run_ this late?"

"…Shit."

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**A/N: Woohoo! Another chapter! :D And this one has FEELS :DD **

**There were no guest reviews for chapter 12 so there will obviously be no replies to them. **

**As per usual, review to get a scrumptious cookie but flamers will receive flaming chakrams to the face courtesy of Axel and then we will force you to listen to "Swim this Way" on an eternal loop. Don't flame. e _ e**

**~Roxy~**


	14. Consequence

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: Hey! I still don't own anything. **

**A/N: Hi again. It's been a while, huh? Here's the next chapter :D (sorry, another bitch-Larxene chapter)**

**~Roxy~**

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Chapter 14: Consequence

Beneath the churning waves of the sea, Larxene paced and circled her basin every now and then, upset about whatever was depicted in the hoary orb that floated there. She turned, a sour grimace drawing her lips down. Her acidic green eyes landed on a solid, jagged chunk of crystal in a far reach of the round room that encased a cloudy figure. Larxene grumbled.

"Little shit. He can't just _back out_." She bit her knuckle, chancing another look at the sphere, but it only furthered her hot anger. "Ansem! Xehanort! Where did you put our latest contractor's things?" Larxene whipped around and began her own half-hearted search for the three jars. "And, while you're at it, get me the other things necessary for an anatomical conjure spell." She waved a bony hand at the eels who brought her the three jars she'd previously asked for.

Larxene cackled and batted the silvery ball of light from its place in the pedestal before prying the basin to full size. She set the three containers on a small side-table while she retrieved some other essential ingredients from her cabinet.

"Let's see, let's see—ah!" She pulled a flask from the top shelf. It glowed softly and within its confines, air bubbled and swirled restlessly. Swaying to the bowl that radiated expectantly with sea-foam in hand, she smashed the glass against the wall of the stone basin, causing the lingering magic inside it to rumble and twist. Larxene let it settle before taking the three defining items in her arms. "If prick-fins won't get it for me like a good boy, I'll just have to take this operation by the horns and steer it myself."

Larxene uncorked the first jar, fishing out a lock of honey-blonde hair and dropping it casually into the gentle vortex occupying her workplace. The mist moaned, acknowledging the added follicles. A sickening grin stretched across Larxene's pale face as she opened the second of three jars, careful to not let the golden tendrils of light escape before she could guide them into the incomplete mixture. As she drew them forward, the echo of a quiet scream followed the wisps into their inevitable silence within the unfinished spell. Finally, Larxene opened the last container with an eerie _pop_ and dumped its contents out into the palm of her milky white hand. Two human eyes rested in her cupped palm, each filled with a stunningly deep zaffre. She dropped one in.

_Plunk_

She dropped the second in.

_ Plunk_

The last of the components had been introduced and the mixture roared and roiled angrily, luminescent amaranth mist pouring over the sides and the cauldron spitting shards of crystalized plasma as the vague outline of a person began to form in all the chaos.

With a final crack of lightning courtesy of Larxene, the indiscriminate skeleton took form.

"Even if only just a doll, you can do better than that fickle waste of space."

The synthesized human blinked his eyes open vacantly, staring down at Larxene with a soulless sapphire gaze.

"Now, minion—ooh, that sounds positively wicked—I have a lot to brief you on in a very short amount of time." The sea witch pulled a faded wisteria drape from a peg on a nearby wall and wrapped it very loosely around the animated doll's rigid shoulders. Larxene yanked him down and into a cold embrace, stroking his hair, but the touch was far from kind; she ran her sharp, black claws down his scalp, each cruel pet dripping with dark intent. "And you should have no problem with getting your hands a little _dirty_, unlike the good-for-nothing adulterous twerp you're replacing; however, you can't just take his name—this solution of mine would quickly become my downfall…" Larxene pushed the doll away and looked him over. She really was rather crunched for time and didn't wish to waste any of it dressing her creation properly. She waved the problem off for the time being and chose to throw something together before she sent him away, but moved the issue to the bottom of her to-do list regarding the doll. For now, she decided it best to focus on strategically naming the clone. Larxene tapped her bottom lip, flitting her gaze all around the room hoping to be inspired by something—and indeed she was. A crooked smile inched onto her face when her eyes stopped on the trio of wayfinders floating lazily in a glass display case on the other side of the room. She swam to the case and swung it open, plucking the chartreuse star from the box and meandering her way back to the blank-faced clone. Snickering quietly to herself, Larxene strung the charm around his neck. "This should keep you stable on land."

Larxene sported another terrifyingly sharp smirk.

"I know you won't let me down, _Ventus_."

* * *

**A/N: ffffffffffFFFFF! I'm sorry for **_**two**_** things! One, this chapter's so short, and two, this chapter is so corny it's still on the cob! Also, let me make one thing perfectly clear before any of you assume anything! **_**Larxene did not bring Ven back! She is simply using that name for the DECOY! I DIDN'T MAKE VEN EVIL! Please don't write this off as anything more than a perfect coincidence for the villain! **_

**Kay, so you all know the drill, reviews are rewarded with kingdom cookies, but flames are punishable by the most torturous means we can conjure! That's right, we will not only force you to listen to **_**Swim This Way**_** on a continuous loop, we will now also withhold KH 1.5 reMIX from you… **_**forever!**_ヽ(#`Д´)ﾉ

**~Roxy~**


	15. The Motel

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: Time to pull out the boring disclaimer because I'm all out of ways to say "Hey, guess what? No matter how much I wish and pray and hope and beg, I will **_**never EVER**_** own any **_**ounce**_** of this franchise!"… well… I guess that works.**

**A/N: Hey, hey, hey~ I'm back! I'm sure you missed me! **

**GUYS, GUYS! LOOK AT THAT CREATIVE TITLE! THAT IS ONE CREATIVE-ASS TITLE! *sigh* I know I'm hopeless. TT ^ TT**

* * *

Chapter 15: The Motel

Roxas sighed quietly, leaning on Axel a bit as they walked. He was tired and by the time they were among the stout, sleeping houses again, he could barely keep his eyes open. He was fading fast, his footsteps slowing considerably and his posture slackened.

"Tired already, Roxas?" Axel teased, but ended up yawning in spite of himself. "Man, what _time _is it?" the redhead flipped his wrist over and glanced at his watch. "Midnight? How did it get to be—"

"Hey! Hey, Axel, Roxas! We have some good news and some bad news." Sora came running up to the couple, Riku a few feet behind him. "Well, more like _bad _news and _then_ good news, but I digress. So, the bad news is there are no trains that actually _run _this late…"

"Then what's the _good_ news? We get to sleep in a five-star gutter?" Axel raised a skeptical crimson brow at the brunette who shook his head in good humor and bowled over the question.

"Buuuut," Sora held an open hand to Axel's face, smiling; though, his self-pride was cut short by a borderline condescending pat on the head.

"Sora, none of our family or friends live on this island. They live on the main island and the ferries don't run past eleven either."

Roxas gazed hazy-eyed at the couple, honestly perplexed at their ability to converse on a telepathic level. He wondered if he and Axel would ever be that close; because if he _did_ stay, he would never get his voice back…and that meant unspoken communication would be a necessity. Once he hit the painful thought that he may never speak again, Roxas' mind gave up on digging for possible solutions. It was simply too straining at such a late hour.

As Roxas' conscience slipped away, Sora stood in a disheartened stance—shoulders slumped forward and bottom lip quivering. He, like the other three, was exhausted to the point of brain numbness and broken misery. His only plan had been snuffed out before he could even put it out there and it would be like stabbing his pathetically sleep-dumbed brain with a dull, rusty butter knife just to consider another way around their situation.

"You have a better idea?" Sora spat the words like they'd been sour in his mouth and crossed his arms.

"Actually, yes. There's that motel up the road—it's _literally_ a three minute walk away." The silverette pointed over his shoulder to a glowing red sign that clearly said MOTE while the L swung sadly off the end. The letter flickered dimly as it hung onto the cable keeping it attached to the sign.

"B-but _Riku_! Doesn't _Xigbar_ own that motel?"

"Sora, I promise I won't let anything happen, okay? Now come on." Riku tugged at Sora's wrist, urging him to follow, but behind them Axel stared with a foul grimace. "What?"

Axel let out a heavy breath. "I'm just thinking about how nice that five-star gutter is starting to sound."

Riku only offered an annoyed glare in response.

"Oh come on, having to sleep in a grimy, cheap motel is bad enough, but I know Xigbar; he used to live in Twilight Town before he moved here. I don't think sleeping in the same building as the guy is very smart." Axel paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "Plus, you never _know_ who's been sleeping in those beds. They're probably all covered in dry body fluids." As Axel wrapped up his little rant, Riku continued pulling Sora down the moonlit sidewalk. He threw a few words behind him at Axel, though he didn't stop walking to do so,

"You can either be dirty on the _ground_ or dirty in a _bed_. I'd strongly advise you choose one fast because Sora and Roxas are both practically asleep on their feet." After Riku said this, he stopped and managed to hoist Sora onto his back. The brunette mumbled something unintelligible and coiled his arms around Riku's shoulders lazily.

Axel ran a hand down his face tiredly. "Dirty bed it is then. You okay with that Rox?" To his side, Roxas nodded with heavy eyelids already drawing over exhausted gunmetal gray eyes. He had loosened his grip around the redhead's bicep considerably and most of his weight was now on Axel's side. Not wanting the teen to pass out on the pavement, Axel scooped him up bridal-style—an action that had by this point become something as frequent and thoughtless as habitual teeth-brushing and, as always, Roxas automatically nuzzled into the familiar warmth Axel's chest always offered him.

Once the four made it to the door of the dinky motel, both Sora and Roxas were cautiously placed on their feet—each taking a woozy moment to stabilize themselves. The outside of the building was eerie and seemed much darker than the rest of the street. Only the foggy glass door disrupted the cold wall with warm light (warm being a relative term). The bricks of the wall were chipping and left jagged chunks of stone on the cement. Just the establishment's exterior was enough to send potential guests running.

Riku fearlessly pushed the filthy door open, motioning for the other three to enter. The door closed behind them with a quiet _thump_ made louder by the uncomfortable silence of the lobby. Everyone shifted on their feet as four pairs of tired eyes wandered about the room. The wallpaper was stained and peeling, the check-in desk unattended, and the small room drafty and uninviting. This place was even more cruel and unnerving than the all-white clothing store Roxas had gone to with Axel on their first day together.

Finally a tall lanky figure walked out of a creaky wooden door behind the desk. The man was weathered and tan with a long serrated scar sliced up the left side of his bony face and a black patch strapped over his right eye. When his functional eye landed on the group, he flashed a permanently devious smirk, showing off his abnormal canines that were far too sharp to be normal.

"Hey guys, y'know you coulda just rung the bell." The man spoke, leaning on the counter and gesturing at the rusting gold bell on its surface. Roxas noticed out of the corner of his eye that when the motel manager entered the room, Riku had instinctively yanked Sora closer to him. The manager got a kick out of that. "Woah now, no need to get all _defensive_. I'm not gonna lay a finger on your little _wife_."

Riku growled, "You'd _better_ not. Because if you so much as _look_ at him I swear to god Xigbar, I will rip your sorry excuse for a dick off and shove it so far up your ass you'll taste your own foreskin, got it?"

"Yessir." Xigbar gave an apathetic salute before lolling his head to look at Axel and Roxas. His grin widened, but it offered no comfort. "And who's this little dude?"

"Can it."

"Hey now, cool your tits, Ax. I just wanted to know the little shit's name."

Roxas half-hid behind Axel, clutching the redhead's arm.

"So how 'bout it little man, what's your name?"

The teen recoiled shyly. _'Even if I _could_ talk, I wouldn't tell you.'_

"It's Roxas, alright? Now could we please get our fucking room keys?" Axel groaned, "We're all about one beat away from murder here."

"Alright, fine. Yeesh—I'm not allowed to have any fun, am I?" Xigbar fished two room keys from some unseen shelf under the desk. He tossed both of them to Riku who caught them like the ninja he so clearly was. "Help yourselves to the rooms. You can pay tomorrow."

"How _kind_ of you." Axel sneered and started gently nudging Roxas toward Riku who had already gone to unlock both of the rooms. The redhead took one step in that direction when Xigbar's amused voice halted him.

"Hold up there chief. I have a couple things I'd like to talk to you about." The manager beckoned Axel with a flick of his wrist and the latter just rolled his eyes. Before the redhead turned back to the check-in desk, he ruffled Roxas' ebony barbs and soundlessly reassured him that he wouldn't be long and to wait for him in the room. The teen nodded and disappeared behind a doorframe down the hall. Xigbar spoke again when he was sure he and Axel were alone. "I didn't think jailbait was your thing."

Axel deadpanned, already seeing where the conversation was headed and desperately awaiting its end. "He's not jailbait."

A spark of mischief and an unsettling interest brightened a golden eye. "So he's _of age_." The last two words slid heavily off of Xigbar's tongue and muddied the atmosphere, suddenly making Axel feel even more uncomfortable and pissed than before. He pinched the bridge of his nose—he had known where the conversation would go yet he didn't walk away.

Stupid mistake.

"Well then tell me, Ax—"

"Don't call me that."

"Whatever—so tell me, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That the quiet ones are always the freakiest in bed."

"How would I know that?"

Xigbar laughed, showing those abnormally sharp canines again. "Oh come on, that Roxas kid is obviously pretty damn quiet and you must have fucked him by now. Why don't you hook a brother up and let me have a tur—"

_SLAP_

The loud clap of skin hitting skin echoed in the nearly vacant lobby as Axel's open palm collided with Xigbar's scarred cheek.

"You stick to your drunk hookers and stay the fuck away from Roxas or I will make sure your life is a living hell." Axel bared his teeth and glowered at the man across from him with hate-darkened harlequin eyes. The expression of pure malice caused Xigbar to blanch, but he shook the fright and chuckled.

"Christ man, get a _grip_. I was just kiddi—"

"Fuck you, I'm going to bed." And with that, Axel turned on his heel and stomped down the corridor.

Roxas did what he was told and migrated to the room he and Axel would be staying in. The air in the bedroom was cold and damp and smelled like sweat and dust. He gagged a bit when he entered, but nonetheless sat on the stiff mattress which was pretty much the only thing in the room. The lone light source was the hoary moonlight spilling in from the window beside the bed. It cast a shadow of Roxas and he stared at it—there were no soft edges, it seemed like the black shape had been cut out of the silvery light on the floorboards and left a bottomless chasm behind. He swung his legs and watched as his shadow copied the movement. Outside the door there was hushed mumbling and it grew louder as it got closer to the room. Roxas looked up from the floor as the door clicked open and Axel stepped in. The redhead closed the door behind him and flopped down on the bed—expertly avoiding Roxas on his way down.

"The fck 'sat dick's prublm?" Axel muttered into the mattress and turned his head to look up at Roxas. "Hey Roxas, let's get some shut-eye." The redhead didn't wait for a reply, he just hooked an arm around Roxas' waist and dragged him down into a prone position.

With his face closer to the mattress, Roxas could more clearly smell the disgusting musk of the fabric. He inched closer to Axel, trying to mask the scent with the redhead's. In the end, the two aromas mingled in a bearable way, but Roxas still had to actively imagine that they weren't sleeping in some freezing motel. It didn't help that he was trapped on an island he only knew from dreams.

Though tonight, Roxas' dreams would take him somewhere he knew very well.

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**A/N: There you have it, Chapter 15! Sorry it took so long! I hit a rut and I didn't know how I would go about this chapter, so there you have it! :D **

**That's right! Next chapter is another **_**dream**_** chapter! (it's the last one, though)**

**Guest Reviews:**

**Guest: Still loving the cliff hangers! I am really starting to enjoy the chapters no matter how short they are**

****Well, thank you! I'm sorry some of the chapters don't turn out as long as we would all like them to. I'm really glad you're enjoying the story.**

**Awesomeness: Please update I can't stop thinking on whats going to happen :(**

****Yay! People are eager to read my story! :D I'm so happy!**

**Guest: Please update! This story is getting good! (/'-')/ cant stop thinking about it, soooooooooo update please please!**

****Like I said, I'm so happy that people are actually eager to read this! :D**

**Here's a cookie for all my reviewers! *cookies* thank you for reviewing, it makes my day and drives me to write more!**

**Review for a Kingdom Cookie, but flame and be met with evil garden gnomes that will break your legs and drag you down to the lowest pit of hell! (I know it's not KH related, but whatever! We all know the lowest ring of hell is actually guarded by Sephiroth and Vanitas and you'll all be forced to listen to **_**Swim This Way**_** on a continuous loop for all eternity so that works!)**

**~Roxy~**


	16. Nightmare

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: I am to Square Enix as Xemnas is to Kingdom Hearts, no matter how hard I try or how many lives I crush along the way, I will never obtain the thing I want! EVER!**

**A/N: So… I may have lied a little bit… this chapter isn't **_**strictly**_** a dream chapter… hurdur **

**I love all my reviewers! ALL OF YOU! You all get cookies! (my reviewers) YAY! :D**

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Chapter 16: Nightmare

Roxas woke with a start around three thirty—a panting mess of sweat and tears still wrapped in Axel's sleeping arms. He clutched the fabric of the redhead's shirt, trying to convince his post-nightmare mind that he was indeed safe. Still, he could hear her voice all too clearly in his head, calling his name…

_"Roxas… Roxas…"_

In the dream, the images around him had been slightly blurred—smeared into a rolling mural of shapes and colors, highlighted with fleeting and familiar sounds. The world around him had been a deep blue chasm. The ocean. Water rushing by as he was carried through the depths by that same voice…melodic and hushed, murmuring into his hair.

_"It's going to be alright…" she whispered. "You just have to trust me."_

Roxas curled up, the vague fragments flashing by like lightning behind closed eyes—quick and bright, but never there long enough to dwell on it. Before he had even realized it, he was shaking. He trembled uncontrollably as hot tears welled in his eyes. _'I did trust you, but you never came back.'_

"Roxas?" Axel stirred quietly. "Hey, you okay?" he propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at the shaken teen. Once he was out of the way of the window, he could see Roxas' face clearly just as the silvery moonlight caught a single tear rolling over the bridge of the ravenette's nose. Axel fully sat up against the flimsy headboard, Roxas scrambling after him and into his lap. "It's okay, Roxas. Whatever it was, it's over now." Axel pecked the top of Roxas' head and hugged him close. The teen wasn't sure if it was pride or Axel's arms that calmed his tears to a halt, but nevertheless they stopped and left his throat raw with the breathy stutter of blocked sobs.

The arms around him were almost enough to rid Roxas' mind of the fading remnants, but the faint echo of the dream had yet to disappear. He sat sideways in Axel's lap and set his head against the redhead's collarbone. What was the dream trying to tell him? A distant shock of shrill laughter perforated the solitude of his empty thoughts. The awful sound grew louder until it rang uncomfortably in his ears and he tensed. He knew that laugh and he pretended the noise didn't constitute the answer to his question, but it did.

Roxas threw his arms around Axel's neck as he repeated soothing words against the shrieking cackle rattling in his head, _'you're alright, Axel's here, everything's fine…'_. Unfortunately, somewhere deep, he knew the words were all lies—the same kind of lies he was fed the night his mother left him. Roxas was once again reduced to a hysterical mess—the choppy images from his nightmare came rushing back. But as quickly as they'd intruded, they vanished; they were pushed back by hot lips against his cheek. Roxas let his arms loosen and pulled back to meet pacifying bottle green eyes. The frightening thoughts knocked at his brain again, but he didn't let it worsen. Instead, he pressed his lips firmly against Axel's and let his focus slip to the warmth of the redhead. He could feel Axel smile against the kiss and, unable to help it, Roxas found himself doing the same.

With their lips still locked, Axel slid down the headboard while keeping his arms coiled around Roxas' waist until they were lying down. Gradually, their lips fell from each other and two sets of eyes closed.

Even as Roxas' conscience dwindled and the world of sleep began drawing him in again, he didn't worry—he wasn't scared to plunge back into the dark confines of slumber. With Axel's arms still snaked tightly around him, Roxas willingly let go of the last tie binding him to the waking world.

In his dreams, he was not greeted with whispered lies or evanescent scenes. And thankfully, the piercing laughter was silenced.

~oOo~

The next morning, Roxas was woken with a soft jostle and muted sunlight painting the room in the gray glow of morning. He glowered blearily at whoever pulled him out of his sleep. Axel was smiling next to the bed and, as mildly as he could, divulged some fairly urgent news.

"Hey, morning Roxie, time to wake up. We're ducking out on the check. The first train leaves in thirty minutes and the station is twenty minutes away… by car."

Roxas rubbed his glazed eyes, trying to register what the redhead had just said. Deciding this was taking too long, Axel just hoisted the confused teen off the bed and trotted out of the motel. Riku and Sora were already outside and as soon as Axel pushed past the entrance they made a run for the train station.

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**A/N: Yay! Another chapter! Sorry it's SOOOOOOOOO freaking short! The next chapter will be longer, I promise! (it's not even 1,000 words… I AM SO SORRY!) **

**Reviews are very much loved! If I don't get reviews, I'll lose the will to write! KEEP 'EM A'COMIN'! Flamers, however, will step on legos barefoot (threat courtesy of LixalTheNobody) and then spat on and fed to my ravenous pet armadillos with sharp, pointy teeth! (seriously, don't flame, please!)**

**~Roxy~ **


	17. Blue Eyes (Part 1)

**[DISCLAIMERS!]: Blah blah I don't own anything and I never will blah blah**

**A/N: Thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! I'm sorry I can't respond to all of you! Here are cookies for all of you *gives each of you a baggie of complementary cookies***

**Oh my gosh! I am so sorry it's been FOREVER! You probably all thought I was dead… well I might as well have been seeing as finals killed me and then I was passed out for like a week after school let out. Sorry!**

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Chapter 17: Blue Eyes (Part 1)

Needless to say they didn't make the first train back to Twilight Town, but they were able to score tickets for the _second_ train back.

So now the group sat, waiting quietly for the train; Axel and Roxas leaning against each other, asleep, Riku skimming a copy of _The Island Star_ he'd picked up at the entrance, and Sora to his side braiding a lock of argent hair—Riku didn't seem to mind.

"Jeez."

"Hm?" Riku glanced at Sora from the corner of his eye. The brunette had been diligently working on his second braid, leaving the first to begin unraveling at the end.

"You have some serious split-ends, Riku."

"Do I now?" the silverette asked plainly, turning his attention back to the paper.

"Yeah. There are like split-ends on your split-ends! It's pretty bad; I think we'll need to cut it when we get home." Sora finished the second braid and moved on to a third chunk of hair. Riku simply sighed.

…

"Hey Riku?"

"Hm?" Riku flipped the page.

Sora's hands stopped mid-braid and fell to his lap. Riku set the newspaper down and looked at the brunette.

"You okay?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah—I'm just a little worried about Roxas."

"Why?"

"He's not the Roxas I remember." Sora knocked his head against Riku's shoulder. "I mean, I know seventeen years can change a person, but…"

"What?"

Sora shook his head, "…Nothing."

After lunch, the four lounged around the slightly cramped living room of Sora and Riku's apartment. The married couple disclosed that they didn't feel comfortable leaving the bakery unattended for too long even though the shop was closed—Riku mentioning something under his breath about 'those damn doughnut thieves', implying that Demyx wasn't the only person in Twilight Town who occasionally liked to snag sweets without reaching for their wallet.

Sora had left the room to retrieve a pair of shears, leaving Riku to bounce his leg nervously and comb fingers through his hair as if he were issuing a silent goodbye to the feathered tresses. Axel let out a curt snort of laughter, relishing in his friend's discomfort.

"What's got you so wound up?"

"Axel, you know I don't like getting my hair cut." Riku spat, straightening in the creaky foldaway chair he'd been instructed to sit in.

"If you're that antsy, why not get it done professionally?" Axel asked, still amused at the silverette's unease.

Riku rolled his eyes and shot Axel a dirty look. The redhead clearly didn't take any sort of hint from the glare and Riku groaned—the sound of aggravation was cut off, however.

"Oh right, you're a penny pincher." Axel laughed, earning a dry, indignant chuckle from Riku and a confused cocked eyebrow from Roxas who was unfamiliar with the term. Before Axel had time to elaborate, Sora walked back in—pair of scissors in hand.

~oOo~

"There, done." Sora said triumphantly, twirling the scissors around his finger. Riku didn't respond—he was too mentally fried to. In fact, the only conscious and alert people in the room were Sora and Axel (Roxas had fallen asleep again; most likely because he was robbed of sleep the night before). The ravenette's head was resting contentedly in Axel's lap and the redhead stroked the teen's hair.

"Hey Sora?"

The brunette turned at the sound of his name. "Hm?"

Axel very carefully repositioned Roxas' head as he stood up.

"Could you watch Roxie? I'm gonna go out for a little while." Axel was already at the doorway when he said this.

"Where are you going?" Sora asked, retrieving Roxas a blanket from the linen closet and draping it over the sleeping mute. Axel shrugged.

"Just somewhere. I'll be right back." The redhead turned on his heel and disappeared out the door before he could be bombarded by more questions. Sora could get a bit nosey and if Axel were to disclose where he planned to go, the brunette would surely spill it no matter how much he stressed that it had to stay a secret.

~oOo~

The lunch rush was dying down when Axel exited Sweet Memories. He walked down the sidewalk, hands tucked in his pockets and a pleased grin on his face. Pink Ribbon Florist was only a block away so he arrived at the entrance quickly. He busted in, upsetting the petals of nearby arrangements and scaring feather-haired shopkeeper out of his wits.

"How's it hangin' Gaysie Daisy?"

Marluxia rolled his eyes after recovering from his mini-heart attack. "How many times do I have to tell you that's _not my name_?!"

"At least once more." Axel hummed, inspecting a bushel of de-thorned red roses. "So, you're here… how is the clothing business treating you?" the redhead attempted small talk and received an exhausted sigh from Marluxia.

"I'm selling the store to Vexen—"

"You're selling the place to _that _lunatic?"

Hateful blue eyes locked with Axel's shocked ones. "He's turning it into a clinic. Besides—can't buy it back now."

"So you're keeping this one?"

The shopkeeper nodded soundlessly.

"But this one wasn't even yours in the first place." Axel pointed out, lazily gesturing around the flower-crowded store.

"Maybe not, but I'm one of the only people who can make sure this place goes on like she wanted. Also, I like nature much better than clothes." The mauvette explained, caressing a tulip by his side. He turned back to Axel, "Now, we're not exactly buddy-buddy so why are you _really_ here?"

"I need some flowers."

"What's the occasion?"

Axel chuckled and gave Marluxia a smug look. "I met someone." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And I want to let them know how much they mean to me."

Marluxia came out from behind the counter and walked around the shop—obviously in search of a certain flower.

"Wow," the mauvette started sarcastically, "you never would have struck me as the 'one-true-love' kind of guy." He stopped in front of a shelf bulging with tulips of all different colors. "But if you want to 'declare your love' to this person, then red tulips are the way to go." He plucked five of the scarlet buds from the leafy shelf and made his way back to the counter. Marluxia started rummaging through something below the counter and out of sight. "What color ribbons?"

Axel thought for a moment. "Yellow." He nodded his confirmation. "Yeah, yellow's good."

A few snips of ribbons and some serious bow-tying skills later, the petit bouquet was all bundled up and ready for presentation.

"That'll be twenty-four munny." To Marluxia's surprise, Axel pulled twenty-four munny from his wallet and slid it across the counter. "Well then… Enjoy your flowers…"

…

…

"Aren't you going to say something like 'please come again'?" Axel asked.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I don't _want_ you to come back… You've bought your shit, now get out." Marluxia pointed to the door with a determined scowl. Axel took the hint and left with his small bouquet.

Once he was sure the door was closed, Axel huffed "flowery prick" to himself, but his breath hitched in his throat when a head of golden spikes caught his eye. He dropped the tulips in shock and ran across the street, weaving through the thinning crowd. "Hey! Hey blondie!"

The subject of Axel's attention turned his head and they locked eyes. The redhead's heart skipped a beat.

_Those eyes…_

Axel caught up to the blonde and took the boy by his shoulders, staring into those pools of zaffre—though they seemed a bit more… shallow than he remembered, but it didn't seem all that important.

"You. Who are you?" Axel panted and as he leaned down to meet the teen's gaze, the four-pointed star slipped out from under his collar. The stranger smiled up at the winded redhead—it was a warm, yet strangely empty smile.

"_Ventus_."

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**A/N: Oh. My. God. THANK LORD THIS IS CHAPTER IS FINALLY DONE! I finally gained back my inspiration~ You guys are all so awesome! Reviews are loved and appreciated even if I can't or don't chose to respond to them! **

**As always, flamers will be tossed into a volcano and their fried corpses will be fed to my pet heartless… just… don't… flame… _ **

**~Roxy~**


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